Since You've Been Gone
by lilac17
Summary: When Avery Darling, a girl from the boys'past, comes back to Ipswich,Pogue, Reid and Tyler start to have feelings for her.Will Pogue leave Kate and get back with his ex?Can Reid stop being a player?Can Tyler get the girl this time? CxS,PxK,PxOC,TxOC,RxOC
1. This is your new life

**A/N: I don't own the Covenant and I got the Darling family form Dirty Sexy Money. Thanks to girlonthehill who helped me so much!**

"So, why don't you get it started, okay?" Mrs. Taper said before turning around to write algebra equations on the board. The Sons, as they were called, were all in the class but not one of them paying attention. Well, maybe Tyler, but he was starting to zone out. That is until there was a knock on the door and a pretty girl entered the room.

"Ms. Darling, you were able to make it. You can sit anywhere." The teacher extended her arm indicating the few vacant chairs. There was one next to Tyler and another next to a very creepy looking guy. Not wanting to take any risks, Avery decided to take the place next to her long lost best friend, who looked very much in shock, just like the other three.

"Hey, Ty," Avery whispered after sitting down. She then began to take a notebook and a pen from her bag. "Look, I know you're in shock but if you don't answer in less than thirty seconds, I'll think you're ignoring me," she grinned, obviously enjoying his reaction.

"I'm sorry, I'm just surprised, and that's all. You're here…and looking so different." It was true - although Avery had always been pretty, she had never worn short skirts or anything showy or flashy, preferring to be more reserved, unlike all the other girls on her age. Now she looked the exact opposite of how she was two years before. The mandatory uniform navy blue skirt stopped a little above her knees, giving everyone the opportunity to see her well shaped legs.

"What? Don't you like it?" Her blue eyes glistened behind her thick dark brown bangs. Avery smiled as Tyler looked uncomfortable and squirmed on his chair. It seemed that things didn't change much, at least concerning Tyler, as he looked the same sweet and innocent boy that she had left behind two years ago.

"I do, it's just that…" Tyler started to ramble nervously and Avery let out a giggle before covering his hand with hers.

"Relax, I'm just kidding. So where is your best friend in the whole world?" She asked, looking around for Reid. Instead, she caught someone else's eyes, precisely Pogue's. He gave her his signature lazy smile and before she could stop herself, she flashed him a sweet look before quickly turning around.

"Are you okay, Ave?" His voice was so full of concern that she just wanted to hug him.

"I'm okay, maybe we should pay attention." Avery said and began writing in her notebook, deliberately silent for the rest of the class.

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"What the hell, have you seen her?"Pogue asked, his voice echoing in the boys bathroom. Caleb rolled his eyes at how nervous Pogue seemed to be. Of course Pogue would be feeling a little… hesitant with Avery coming back. They had been a couple and things hadn't ended up so well, but now he was dating Kate and seemed happy with his relationship. Could it be that…

"You're not over Avery, are you?" Caleb asked directly, thinking it would be better to know the answer so he could help his friend.

"What? Of course I am, man. I'm with Kate." Pogue answered without much conviction. Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay! I think about her sometimes but, I mean she was my first… love. Everyone thinks about their first relationship, right?"

"It's okay; no need to be so defensive," Caleb said, throwing his hand up in the air as a sign of peace.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I was fine, I'm with Kate, and then she comes looking like that. She's so…" Pogue struggled to find the right word and when he couldn't, Caleb intervened.

"Hot?" Caleb tried and laughed when he saw the look on his friend's face."What? She is!"

"Don't you have a girlfriend or something?" Pogue asked sarcastically.

"I do, and actually, so do you. Don't forget that." Caleb patted him on the back and turned around to leave. It was time for the older boy to face his only female best friend.

"I won't," he murmured before closing his eyes in a silent prayer he wouldn't forget that. After all, Kate was starting to get a bit clingy and Avery had those killer legs.

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"Are my eyes fooling me or is my favorite womanizer right in front of me?" Avery said before standing on the tip of her black-booted toes to hug him and kiss his cheek and the tip of his nose, just like they'd always done in the past.

"Still short I see? But so much hotter than before," Reid noted with a deep voice that made girls swoon, but since Avery wasn't just any girl, she hit him hard on the chest instead.

"Jerk! But I missed you and your very entertaining remarks," She hugged him again and he kissed the tip of her little button nose as she giggled, not noticing the glares that she was receiving from practically all the girls in the hallway.

"So, why are you doing here?" Reid asked in a more serious voice. The last he had seen her; she was crying her eyes out because her father had to replace her grandfather as the CEO of Darling Enterprises so they would have to move back to Manhattan. And from what he had heard from his mother, it hadn't looked like they were coming back soon, even if their house wasn't sold and remained the same way as before. Actually, it was so exactly the same that Reid used to sneak into the property so he could remember vividly their moments together. As creepy as it sounded, it was the way he found to deal with the fact that the only person in the world who understood him, besides Tyler, had left.

'That's one thing I would like to know." Caleb's voice came from behind her and Avery quietly turned around and hugged him, having missed him just as much as the other boys.

'Well, I'll just say I wasn't a very good girl in New York, so they sent me to boarding school. Cliché, right?" Avery explained snuggling on Caleb's chest as his hand circled her waist. They used to be like that all the time before, so it was out of habit. Caleb didn't think much of it and didn't even think about Sarah. After all, he loved Avery like a baby sister.

"So your parents aren't here?" Reid inquired, grinning at how Avery seemed to have changed. A few years before, she was the epitome of a good girl and now…she wasn't. This was getting interesting.

"Oh, no, they just put Harold to watch me and that's it. But of course I'll have to stay in the dorms. They don't trust me not to throw any parties and ruin the whole house. Whatever, been there, done that." She sighed and watched the surprised look on the boys' faces. "What? It was one time."

"What the hell happened to my darling Avery Darling?" Reid asked rhetorically as he looked at her up and down.

'Who are you to judge? You know, we're all in the east coast and news travel fast. There are dozens of girls in Manhattan that have had their hearts broken by you." Avery said and Caleb laughed, his chest shaking, but she continued to lean on him. "So, you're going to help me unpack or what? The furniture arrived earlier and my room is a mess. I think I'll have to sleep on a blanket on the floor." She stuck her tongue out and grimaced. Reid ruffled her hair, earning a glare, and offered his hand.

"Come on, I'll help you out. If we can't get everything arranged, you can sleep with me and Tyler." He pulled her away from Caleb and started to lead her to the dorms' direction.

"Bye, Caleb! I missed you!" She said before taking Reid's hand and letting herself being totally pulled away.

"Bye." He smiled. He really had missed her.

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Sarah Wenham was not having such a good day. For starters, she had slept in and had woken up only fifteen minutes before her first class, and was fairly certain that her hair looked very much like a bird's nest as she hadn't had the time to brush it. But now it had become much, much worse. Her perfect boyfriend Caleb Danvers was standing with an extremely beautiful girl, practically cuddling with her. What the hell?

"Hey Sarah," Caleb greeted her kissing her cheek and frowned when she remained stoic instead of flashing a big smile like she used to. "What's up? Did something happen?"

"How can you ask me that? I saw you and that girl looking pretty comfortable with each other. In the middle of the hallway, don't you have no…" She started to ramble and Caleb laughed, making her angrier.

"That's Ave, she was our childhood friend, and she's like a baby sister to me." Caleb explained while taking in his girlfriend's angry appearance.

"Okay, but why were you all so cuddly with her?" Sarah grumped and Caleb kissed her forehead softly as if to calm her down.

"My baby sister, Sarah. Don't worry." Caleb said in a sweet voice and she didn't feel as insecure as before. Her relationship with Caleb seemed to be safe. At least for the time being.

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"So, you're here," Reid said, breaking the silence that had installed in the room since they had gotten there thirty minutes before. Apparently Harold had already sent someone to organize the furniture and the room was decorated just like her mother had planned with a decorator, so the only thing Avery had to do was arrange her clothes in the closet. She gave him a pointed look and already knowing what he was going to say, she decided to go first.

"I'm not back because of Pogue." Avery declared while opening her Louis Vuitton suitcase and tossing the clothes on the bed haphazardly. Reid just lifted an eyebrow before moving to stand next to her. "Yes, you were going to ask that," Avery scoffed but laughed when she saw the look on Reid's face.

"How can you possibly know that?" Reid inquired and sprawled on the bed, making himself comfortable. "You know, I need to get a bed like yours."

"Avoiding the subject aren't we? Okay, then we are not talking about it anymore," Avery declared in a tone that closed any subject left unspoken. She then proceeded to check out the bathroom. Her room was one of the few that had a decent bathroom attached. Actually the only reason why she had one was because her mother just simply couldn't allow her to take showers in a public bathroom and Avery wasn't about to contest that.

"Today is Friday. Do you want to go to Nicky's? You could finally learn how to play pool." Reid grinned before sitting up on the bed. "So, you were serious about not wanting to talk about your… thing with Pogue?" He coughed to show his discomfort. Avery didn't answer him, just flashed a look that was enough answer. Reid got up and picked up his books that were scattered on the floor where he'd thrown them when he entered the room.

"So you still go to Nicky's every Friday night," she stated before he opened the door to leave. Reid nodded but didn't say anything else. "Don't worry, I'll be there. Eight o'clock?"

"Don't be late. You need all the time you can get to actually be able to hold the stick." Reis said and ducked the pillow she had thrown at him. He smiled and felt relieved she was back.

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Pogue was sitting on his usual table at Nicky's, drinking a beer and listening to his girlfriend Kate while he waited the rest of his friends to arrive. As usual, Kate had been talking nonstop and he just nodded his head and smiled occasionally so she would think he was paying attention to her.

"…So Sarah was flipping out today because Caleb was hugging some girl, but then he told her that she was your friend, Ave… something with a very weird surname," Kate said, trying to remember Avery's name so hard that she didn't even noticed Pogue's reaction to her talking about Avery. "So, was she your friend too?"

"Yeah, I guess," Pogue answered uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. He wasn't going to tell her that he had dated Avery for two years and she had been his first and unforgettable love, especially now that Kate was through the phase where she got jealous of absolutely every girl who would do as much as look at him. "She was closer to Tyler and Reid." He said before taking a large gulp from his beer, hoping that would be enough explanation.

"Oh, so you two didn't talk at all?" Kate implied while taking a sip of her coke. Pogue had the urge to say yes just because he knew it would please her, but he also knew it would only add fuel to her anger when she found out the real story between him and Avery.

"I didn't say that. Listen, why do you want to talk about her when we are alone here?" He said in a husky voice and pulled her closer, only to let go when he saw Avery arrive with Tyler and looking hotter than ever. She was wearing skinny white jeans that fit her legs amazingly and a simple sequined blue cami that although it wasn't revealing, showed all her good assets. He had to admit she looked very good and her new haircut, with the bangs falling over her eyes, made her even sexier.

"Is that your friend?" Kate asked, already sizing up the competition, but didn't say or do anything else after that, something Pogue was grateful for.

A few minutes later, Caleb and Sarah arrived accompanied by Reid, who probably had been left without a ride. They had talked to Tyler and Avery and to Pogue's complete dismay; they were heading over in his direction, including Avery who didn't seem to feel as awkward as him.

"Hey man, what's up?" He and Caleb punched fists and as he prepared himself to say something to Avery, Kate beat him.

"So Pogue told me you five used to be friends." She said in a challenging voice. Reid not so discreetly rolled his eyes, already anticipating the girl's jealously.

'Well, I like to think we're still friends." Avery smiled as she kissed Tyler's cheek who blushed. Pogue glared at the two of them as Avery continued, "You are?"

"Kate Tunney. I'm Pogue's _girlfriend_." Avery tried to remember everything she was taught at her deportment lessons and not to pounce at that girl.

"Well, nice to meet you, I'm Avery Darling," Avery said and got mad when Kate let out a little giggle, no doubt because of her surname. That was the reason she didn't want to leave New York. In Manhattan, the Darlings were the richest and most important family around. In Ipswich, Darling was just a funny surname. As if figuring her anger, her iPhone started to vibrate and she smiled when she saw Patrick's name on the screen. "Excuse me." She took a few steps back, relieved she wouldn't have to be close to that Kate girl at least for a few minutes.

'Well, she seems nice." Sarah said trying to relieve the tension that had formed there.

"Whatever. Can you go to the bathroom with me?" Kate got up and bolted to the restroom's direction, obviously pissed. Sarah shot everyone an apologizing look and followed her.

"Dude, you are so screwed." Reid said laughing. It served Pogue right, after hurting Avery so much, maybe he deserved that.

"Pat! I thought you wouldn't be able to call me." She said excitedly. Patrick was her older brother and the vice president of Darling Enterprises, the family company.

"I know, but I just wanted to tell you about your little gift. Dad didn't want me to get it for you but I saw it and it just screams you." Patrick said and she could imagine the smile on his face. "Harold called me and told me you are in some kind of local hangout point. I figured I could have it delivered there." Her two older brothers, Patrick and Jeremy were raised in Manhattan and when her parents announced they would go back to Ipswich, where her mother had lived before meeting her dad, the boys preferred to stay in New York with their grandparents.

"Pat, what are you talking about?" Avery said in a suspicious voice.

"Go outside." She did and there was someone, precisely Tom, a man who worked for Pat, holding a set of keys and next to a beautiful, shiny, 2008 Range Rover HSE, the car that she had always wanted. Avery let out an excited squeal and ran to hug Tom before talking on the phone.

"Pat! I thought dad wouldn't let me have a car before graduation. How did you do it?" She asked, not really interested in the answer. She now was much occupied examining her perfect brand new car.

"I made it work, look Ave be a good girl okay. And by the way, your platinum American Express card should be there in a few days, do all of us a favor and don't max it out. Love you."

Avery was in her personal heaven - a new car _and_ a new credit card. Things were too good to be true, maybe she wouldn't even have to go back inside, she could just be there, admiring her car and sparing herself from that Kate girl who thought she had the dibs on Pogue.

'Hey, what's up?" Caleb's concerned voice reached her ears and she turned around to see him. "Did you get mad at Kate? I admit it; she can be a little…" He stopped to struggle for the right word.

"Bitchy?" She suggested and the two of them shared a secretive laughter. "Hey, want a ride on my new baby?" Avery patted her brand new car and smiled when she saw his impressed face. "Beautiful, right? I just need to give it a name." Caleb laughed.

"You know, I always took you for a Beemer kind of girl, it will be funny to see you in this big car. Everyone is waiting inside. How about we go back and grab a bite?"

"Good idea."

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"I've talked to the girl for two minutes and I already dislike her," Kate said reapplying her lipstick. "Besides, did you see what she was wearing? White skinny jeans? Slut." Sarah thought it would be better not to remind her about a time when Kate had been just dying to buy white jeans but couldn't because her parents hadn't wanted to give her an extra money.

"I liked her." Sarah didn't want to say anything else and have to suffer the consequences as Kate had the tendency of being a little immature.

"Well, I didn't." She really sounded like a spoiled brat. "Can you believe they were friends with her? Out of pity, must have been."

"Oh, honey, they were more than friends," Kira Snider said with a smile on her face. She was clearly enjoying the situation. "Pogue and Avery, I mean. Really, I thought they would get married."

Kate's face said it all; she was shocked, pissed and her ego was hurting. Shocked because she hadn't thought Pogue was the long lost lover as it seemed that by the way Avery was behaving, that was Tyler's role, pissed because her sweet boyfriend had lied to her when she had given him the chance to tell the true and with a bruised ego because that girl had had Pogue before her, and probably meaning she had been his first love and everybody knows you can't forget your first.

"She was living in Manhattan. My family went there to stay for a weekend and I got to admit I was impressed when I found out that the Darlings are the richest family there." Kira went to stand beside Kate to check out her reflection. "You know Kate; I just hope the sex is great, for your sake. If it isn't, I'm sure you'll be saying goodbye to him very soon. I'm sorry," she said in a fake sad voice and left.

"I can't believe this girl!" Kate practically screamed and Sarah didn't know who she was talking about; Kira or Avery. Probably a bit of both.

"Calm down Kate. It's in the past; you are Pogue's girlfriend now, not her. Besides, have you seen the looks she sends Tyler? She's into him." Sarah tried to calm her down since she honestly believed Kate could be capable of committing murder.

"But Pogue looked at her in a way…" Kate was now panicking; she couldn't lose her perfect boyfriend after all the work she had done to get him to commit.

"No, he didn't, you're imagining things. Look, stay for half an hour and then leave so you can talk to Pogue, okay?" Kate nodded and huffed before leaving the room in a rush. That time Sarah was seriously concerned for Pogue's welfare after Kate got to him.

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"I can't believe he got you a car!" Tyler exclaimed while handing her a coke that had been properly laced with a little bit of vodka by Reid. "And like that, for no reason at all!"

"He's feeling bad that daddy sent me here. And all because of one tiny little mistake." Avery pouted making all the boys but Pogue laugh. "Paddy just wanted to make me feel better, besides Jeremy spent so much money this last year, he probably felt guilty."

Kate and Sarah got back, with Kate looking five hundred times angrier than before. Avery noticed Pogue give his girlfriend a questioning look and she responded him by shaking her head.

"So how is New York?" Sarah politely asked, but with a genuine curiosity, she had always wanted to go to New York but never had the chance and it seemed that Avery was as cosmopolitan as they could be.

"It's very different from Ipswich. I can't think of a day that I didn't sneak out to go to a party in SoHo. It's amazing," Avery answered, getting nostalgic and already missing the busy life she used to have in Manhattan.

"If it was so great there then why did you come back?" Kate snapped, her self control long gone. She would wait until she was alone with Pogue to let it all loose. Until then, Kate decided that the best thing to be done was snap at every single thing Avery said.

"My parents made me. They were irritated with my so-called misbehavior." Avery let out a small laugh, remembering her not so good girl days. Reid smirked and put his arms around her.

"And for that I'm extremely proud." He kissed her cheek, dangerously close to her lips as she smiled feeling comfort in his actions and Pogue glared again. Reid stole a fry from her plate and chewed it fast so he could talk. "Do you feel like giving me a ride home in your man car?"

"You have a car? Caleb didn't tell me." Sarah asked frowning. Why would she ride with Tyler if she had her own car?

"I didn't know myself until Paddy called me. He called, told me to go outside and a brand new car was waiting for me. My baby Range Rover." Avery let out a dreamy sigh that caused everybody but Kate to laugh. Instead, Kate chose to snap at her newfound enemy again.

"So, is Paddy your rich boyfriend?" Kate taunted, drawling the words so Avery could clearly understand that the expression rich boyfriend actually meant sugar daddy and felt mad when Pogue gave her a look that clearly demanded her to shut up. She rolled her eyes, he wasn't in any position to make demands, and actually, he should be shunning Avery just to please her. But then occurred to Kate he didn't know she knew so he wasn't feeling guilty yet.

"Gods, no! Patrick is my older brother," Avery said joking but made sure to give Kate a small grin to mark her victory. "Reid do you want that ride now?" She asked getting up from the chair. It had been fine in the beginning, but Kate was getting really annoying and she was starting to feel a headache coming.

"Sure let's go, I'll stay with you through the night. Don't want you having nightmares." Avery laughed as he gave her _the_ Garwin smirk that made girls swoon and fall. Reid looked over to say something to Tyler. "Take your chance, Baby Boy, you have the whole room to yourself. Bye, fellows." He sent a pointed look to a blonde girl by the bar that had been staring at Tyler since they had arrived.

"Bye guys, we'll talk tomorrow, maybe go out or something? It was great seeing you all." Avery said politely but her attention was turned directly to Caleb, Sarah and Tyler, ignoring Pogue and Kate. She softly grabbed Reid's hand and pulled him to the exit, not wanting to be in the same room with Pogue and his girlfriend. Then a realization dawned: was she still in love with Pogue? Avery heard Reid's voice asking if she was okay.

"I'm great, come on, let's have a sleepover." They got into the car and drove to Spenser while Avery tried to convince herself that Pogue was in the past and she remembered Tyler's sweet smile. That boy had grown up _a lot._


	2. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant **

**Chapter Two: The Aftermath**

10:00. That was what her alarm clock sitting on the bedside table said. Avery groaned and tried to sit up but realized she couldn't, as Reid had found a way to wrap his legs and arms around her body, practically tying her to the bed. While she tried to think about the best way to untangling herself from him without waking him up, which wouldn't be too hard, since he was a heavy sleeper. She was so concentrated on her tactics that she jumped when her iPhone began ringing loudly, disrupting the silence in the room and fortunately for Avery, Reid's sleep. She smiled as she picked the phone that had been thrown carelessly on the floor but on the fluffy carpet, she really didn't want to be the one who had to wake up Reid and face an attempt of murder. Avery grabbed the device, frowning when she didn't recognize the number but she pressed RECEIVE anyway.

"Hello?" She greeted in a hesitant voice and sighed relieved when she recognized Tyler's voice. "Hey Ty, what's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to have breakfast with me, well, with me, Caleb and Sarah. We're going to this cool place called Jackson's that has the most amazing pancakes I've ever eaten!" Tyler sounded so excited that he resembled a six year old talking. But then again, he looked _nothing _like a boy.

"I don't know Ty; it's just that Reid is feeling a bit hung over," Avery explained while looking at Reid, who looked pretty much like an unpleasant baby that was mad he had been woken up from his nap. She patted his stomach while he made a face pointing to his head. It was no wonder Reid was feeling so bad that morning, considering he had had six bottles of Corona.

After leaving Nicky's the night before, the two of them had decided it would be a good idea not to waste a Friday and they ended up at a liquor store, where Reid bought a six pack of Corona and some cheap champagne, just to please Avery, as he believed real guys didn't drink such a girly beverage. Then the pair sneaked into Avery's dorm and had a party on their own that had only ended when Reid was passed out cold, on her bed.

"Late night?" Tyler asked teasingly, but getting a little upset that Reid was already monopolizing Avery.

"You could say that. Look, Reid will take a cold shower, an aspirin and we'll be as good as new. So, does he know how to get to this place, right?" Avery asked, even though she doubted Reid was in any state to give her directions, much less driving.

"Sure, so I'll see you two in an hour, okay?" Tyler was prepared to hang up when Avery called his name with a bit of anxiety. "What's up?"

"Will Pogue and… Kate be there? It's just that she's kind of annoying and I really don't want to deal with that first thing in the morning."Avery said carefully measuring her words because she didn't know how Tyler felt about Kate and she didn't want him to be mad.

"No. I called him but he said he wasn't feeling well." Tyler said and Avery felt at the same time relieved and stupid. She shouldn't be hiding from Pogue; he was the one who had practically screwed her over and besides he hadn't done as much as looked at her.

"Thanks Ty, I'll see you in a bit." She told Tyler softly and hung up. Now she had to take care of Reid and try to make him look presentable in less than an hour. Avery got up from the bed and grabbed his hand for him to do the same, but apparently, Reid was having none of that and was making a very difficult task for her to complete as he was keen on staying in bed as long as possible. "Come on, hot shot, up you get! We need to be at Jackson's in one hour and you need to take a shower because you're stinking really badly!" She made a face and waved her hand in the air as if to get rid of the bad smell.

"First, I don't smell, second: why the hell did you agree to go when we were supposed to spend the entire day in bed, sleeping through this hangover." Reid pouted and covered his face with the pillow, making Avery laugh. How could a hot boy like him that had hooked up with all the senior girls and half of the juniors act like a spoiled girl?

"If you get in the shower, I'll be waiting with Aspirin." Avery tried to bargain and felt she was getting somewhere when he lifted the pillow and slowly got up from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. "You left some clothes here yesterday. Do you want me to get them?"

"Would you be a sweetheart and do this for me?" Avery smiled and closed the door. She had promised Reid an aspirin but now she desperately needed one.

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Pogue pressed number five of his speed dial and waited anxiously for the person to pick it up but for his disappointment, it went straight to voicemail again. He had been calling Kate nonstop since he had woken up and she had not answered one time, a fact that was worrying him with good reason. For starters, she had been acting really weird the night before, all jumpy and snappy, which he believed it was because she was feeling insecure with Avery's commanding presence that seemed to lighten up the whole room, but there was no reason for her to continue acting that way after Avery had left with Reid. Not only that, but Kate had been throwing him a few hateful glares, much different from the seducing ones he had grown used to. Pogue let his head drop forward, hitting the table with a soft thud. There was a knock on the door and he frowned before getting up to answer the door. He wasn't expecting anyone but it was probably Tyler wanting to convince him to go to their little breakfast reunion.

"Hey," For his surprise, it wasn't Tyler but Kate that looked like she hadn't slept at all the whole night. "Are you okay?" He asked concerned just because it wasn't like Kate to walk out of her room without looking absolutely perfect and at that moment she wasn't.

"We need to talk." Kate only said that before walking past him and entering the apartment. She sat on the couch with a grace that didn't match her disheveled appearance; she was wearing black sweatpants, an over-sized grey Spenser sweater and her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail.

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?" He sat on the chair across the couch and fiddled with his hands. Judging the way she was behaving, he was sure she would walk out of his apartment single and even though he had been feeling kind of tired of Kate; they had been dating for almost a year and he would miss her.

"Why didn't you tell me you had dated Avery bloody Darling?" Her voice was so calm and collected that it was starting to scare him, as Kate was usually vocal-and loud- about her feelings.

"How did you find out?" Crap, the only thing he was really scared of was Kate finding out about him and Avery and how they used to be as a couple. "Who told you?"

"Not from you, obviously. I had to find out from Kira Snider, who said what I quote 'I thought they were going to get married.' What the hell, Pogue?! You made me think you were not even that friends with that girl and now you were practically engaged?!" There it was, Kate in her own glory, screaming like a banshee.

"It wasn't like that. We dated, yes, but then she moved to New York and we broke up. You're talking like we were a legend or something like it," Pogue tried to explain but deep down he knew he was lying, since he and Avery had been a legendary couple, for better _and _for worse. But anything was valid to calm Kate down and his argument seemed to be working.

"Do you still love her?" She inquired while staring into his eyes, as if to try to pull the truthful answer out of him. Pogue felt uncomfortable with the staring and tried to look away but she forced his chin and raised an eyebrow, still waiting a proper answer.

"No! I have no feelings for her anymore. We are together and the only girl I have feelings for is you and well, my mom." He chuckled at his attempt of lightening the mood.

"Are you sure you don't want to be romantically involved with her?" Kate tried to make sure he wasn't fooling her _again_. She sure as hell wouldn't lose Pogue, one of the most wanted boys in Spenser, for some posh little heiress who liked to wear Dolce & Gabanna white skinny jeans, even though they were fabulous.

"I'm sure. Come on Kate, if I wanted to be with her, I would. But I want to be with you." He gave her a puppy look that always made everyone melt.

"Okay, but if you ever lie to me again we'll be done," Kate threatened him but with a small smile on her face that made him relax.

"Okay," Pogue went to sit on the sofa and leaned in to give her a passionate kiss that would hopefully make her forget about all this mess. "Want to go and have a makeup session?" He smirked and winked. Of course she did, but she just needed to take care of one little thing first.

"Pogue?" He looked down at her. "Promise you won't be friends with that girl anymore?" Kate asked in the sweetest and smallest voice she could manage.

Pogue reflected before answering: would he be able to not to talk to Avery or hug or make her laugh again? He had been so worried about her coming but while thinking the night before he realized that could be his chance of redemption and maybe gain her fully forgiveness. But then again, Kate was the one he had been with for a relatively long time and he could see she was hurt and insecure, maybe, with time, he could conciliate both things, or girls.

"I won't," He agreed with a nod of head before getting up from the couch and going to the bedroom. "What about that makeup session?" He said and entered the room, thus not seeing Kate smile, pleased with herself before replying.

"I'm coming, honey!"

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Tyler was feeling like the third wheel while waiting with Caleb and Sarah for Avery and Reid to arrive at Jackson's. Not only he was feeling awkward but he was as hungry as hell, just because he had totally lost his appetite the night before at Nicky's after seeing Avery and Reid leaving together like a couple and now they would be arriving together. Jolly!

He had felt so frustrated that he ended up hooking up with a blonde girl name Claire, or something, but couldn't stop thinking about Avery, which was wrong in some line of guy code. Besides, he was probably that frustrated because _they _–Avery and him- had arrived together at Nicky's and had been talking on the way over there and it felt amazing being able to talk to her again. But of course Reid messed that up. Tyler knew he loved his best friend, but it was ridiculous the amount of attention he needed to get from her.

"Thank God you're finally here!" Caleb's impatient voice snapped him out of his daze and he looked over to see Avery and Reid. As always, Avery looked gorgeous without even trying; she was wearing a white cashmere tight fitted sweater, dark wash jeans and had her dark brown hair pulled in a ponytail. The only thing he could complain was that she was wearing huge sunglasses that blocked the view of her blue eyes.

"Hey all, did you have to wait too much? If you did, it's Reid's fault. He spent a long time in the shower; I would mistake him for a girl." Avery teased him before opening the menu to choose something to eat. Reid snorted and tried to give her a mean glare that looked pitiful because of his hung over red eyes.

"Whose fucking idea was to have a breakfast so early in the morning?" Reid grumbled from his chair and drank coffee from the cup in from of him, precisely Tyler's.

"Hey, that's my coffee man!" Tyler smacked Reid's hand but wasn't able to stop him from drinking his precious latte. "Order you own cup of coffee." Tyler glared at him. Stupid Reid was always taking what he wanted. Then he felt a hand on his arm and turned around.

"Don't mind him; I think he's still half drunk. Besides, don't you want to share an extra large cup of latte with me?" Avery showed him a pearly white smile that was able to calm him down a little.

"Did you and Reid have fun?" Caleb asked with a grin while pointing to Reid's direction with his chin. Sarah laughed after looking at Reid who had pulled his beanie down to cover his eyes and was practically sleeping on the table.

"Lots of fun, we had an alcoholic slumber party and don't make that face, Caleb!" Avery said after seeing the reproving look on Caleb's face. "Don't say anything!" She interrupted him before he could open his mouth to give her a lecture about underage drinking, which was ironic, since she still remembered that on the first time she had ever drunk alcohol , Caleb was there with her and if she wasn't wrong, he had been the one who passed out cold after getting extremely drunk.

"I'm just saying," Caleb shrugged his shoulders and continued on drinking his iced tea. Sarah looked at her boyfriend to see if he was going to say anything else and when he didn't she giggled. Caleb Danvers, the almighty leader was being ordered around by a small girl who wore Dior sunglasses.

"So, how do you like Ipswich so far?" Sarah asked Avery excitedly, wanting to know her after what she saw what Avery could do.

"It's exactly like I remembered; Manhattan is more entertaining, especially if I'm not friends with someone who like to set curfews!" Avery sent Caleb a pointed look making him blush. Sarah turned around with disbelief writing on her face.

"You set curfews for your friends?" She asked laughing. That was so Caleb, trying to control his friend's actions so they didn't do anything stupid.

"Hey, you didn't know those two, Avery and Reid. Always sneaking up, there were times when nobody knew where they had gone. You were like five year olds that needed to be babysat." Caleb tried to defend himself but gave up when he realized everyone on the table was laughing, except for Reid who chuckled slightly. Caleb, defeated, decided to call the waitress so their attentions were on something else.

"Hey, would you like to order your food now?" The waitress whose tag read ANNIE asked with a polite smile on her face for the girl and very flirty one for the boys. They ordered and after the food arrived in fifteen minutes, they continued talking and laughing. After they had finished eating, Avery decided it would be a good idea to get to know Sarah better as she seemed to be a really nice girl.

'Hey Sarah, why don't we go downtown to shop? I don't have many girl friends here so I always have to shop alone which is a total bore." Avery said huffing and Sarah laughed amused. Maybe Avery was a really cool girl and not a stuck up brat that Kate thought she was.

"Sure. When do you want to go?"

"Right now, that is unless you have better plans." Avery looked at Caleb's back for a second and then looked back at Sarah, who had caught what Avery was trying to say and was now blushing.

"No! None of that for now, we can go shopping if you want." Sarah said walking up to join the three boys who were standing next to the door, waiting for the two girls that had gone to the restroom.

"I thought you had drowned!" Reid grumbled when the girls were near. Avery just rolled her eyes, knowing that Reid was probably grumpy because he was hung over. He was proving to be a lightweight.

"We were there for five minutes, Reid." Avery pointed out but not expecting a reply from him. "Besides, you can catch a ride with Tyler, can't you? Sarah and I are going shopping and unless you want to buy some new stilettos, I don't think you would want to go with us." Avery told Reid, who didn't seem too pleased with the idea of being abandoned by her.

"I thought we were going to take a nap together." Reid said seriously and that made Tyler feel bad. Avery hadn't been back for even a week and she was already taking naps with Reid. He thought his chances with her were now close to zero, as it seemed that Reid was now interested in her.

"Sorry, can we take a rain check?" Avery asked with a sweet smile while arranging his blonde locks.

"Sure," He answered in a non Reid like voice before turning around to leave. He tapped Tyler on the back. "Let's go Baby Boy."

Tyler walked up to Avery and kissed her cheek softly, trying to be bolder like Reid. She smiled and waved goodbye before walking up to her car that was parked outside.

"Bye baby, I'll see you in a few hours." Sarah said to Caleb and kissed him on the mouth lightly. 'I'll call you when I get to the dorms."

"You'd better take care of my girl, Darling!" Caleb advised Avery before she got into the car smiling. "Don't go to bars or anything!"

"I'll try to do that." Avery yelled from inside the car, through the open window. She started the car and drove away, her and Sarah laughing hard.

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"You should take this one, it's beautiful," Avery commented when Sarah came out from the booth dressed in an amazing blue mini dress. Sarah checked the price tag and the way that her eyes widened and her jaw dropped was comical.

"I can't take this; it costs almost four hundred dollars!" Sarah whispered loudly afraid that one of the saleswomen would hear her.

"So, you know what? It's my present to you." Avery gestured for the woman who was helping them. "We're taking this dress too, okay?"

"Okay, Miss Darling. Would you like a coffee or anything else?"The lady called Rachel asked while smiling politely. In reality, she was almost jumping in excitement, imagining the fat bonus she would get, since whenever one of those rich kids came there, the monthly profit usually raised forty percent.

"No, thank you. We'll try on a few more dresses and shoes before we wrap it up, okay?" Avery said sweetly and turned her attention to the many shoes on the floor, silently instructing the lady to leave and give them privacy.

"You can't buy me this dress; I'll be in debt for life!" Sarah exclaimed dramatically making Avery laugh at her.

"I promise I won't charge you! Come on, you look so great!" Avery tried to reason with her and realized it had worked when Sarah started to carefully analyze her reflection, trying to see how the dress looked on different angles.

"Thanks Avery!" She squealed and hugged Avery, who hesitantly hugged her back, not used to hanging out with such nice and grateful girls. In Manhattan all girls behaved like bitches and were only interested in getting the queen bee status.

A loud ring disrupted their friendly moment and Sarah grabbed her purse to check if the ring had come from her cell phone. She saw the display and it showed that she had one new text message.

"Is Caleb already missing you?"Avery sing sang teasingly. Sarah shook her head and showed her the message.

"It's an invitation to Ryan Bael's birthday party. I don't know why I received this; they hate Caleb and the boys," Sarah said with a frown.

"The person who sent this must have forwarded to everyone without checking who was on the list," Avery explained with a little smile on her face, thinking that it could be a great opportunity for her to meet an important person from her past. "But we should go." She suggested and Sarah looked a bit uncomfortable before she spoke up.

"I don't know Avery; we were not _really_ invited,"

"Social skills 101: the most important parties to attend are the ones you were not invited." Avery recited the phrase she had heard so many times in New York. "So, do you want to crash a party?"

All she did was smirk when Sarah slowly nodded her head.

**A/N:I know that this chapter isn't a very exciting one, but I wanted to show the relationship between Avery and Reid and the confrontation between Pogue and Kate. For those who think she is so nice , you'd better think twice, because Kate is doing the forgive, don't forget and she won't let Pogue forget what he did so soon. Stay tuned for the next chapter, where some parts of Avery's past will be revealed. A special thanks for those who reviewed! Oh and give your opinion about who should be with Avery: Tyler, Reid, Pogue or a mystery guy that will be revealed next chapter?**


	3. The three boys that have hurt her

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant**

**Chapter Three: The three guys that hurt her**

It was evening already and since Kate had left the apartment an hour before, Pogue decided it would be a good idea to just chill out and try to process what had happened in this morning; first of all Kate knew about his past relationship with Avery, even though he had lied and told her it had been a fling that had managed to last a long time. Pogue was now wondering how mad would Kate be if or when, as gossip seemed to flow freely at Spenser, she finds out about everything that had happened. At least she seemed to be forgiving and understanding, that is, after he had promised her he wouldn't be friends with Avery anymore, which was something that had been on the back of his mind for a while and now that Kate wasn't there to entertain him, the thought of cutting all kinds of ties with Avery was starting to scare him. Maybe Caleb was right when he had said he wasn't quite over Avery.

Pogue was pulled out from his own bubble of thoughts when the Motorola cell phone on the table started to ring and vibrate. He took a minute to answer.

"Hey, man, I'm just calling to let you know we are going to a party. Thought you would like to go too," Caleb said and Pogue frowned when he noticed that his friend's voice seemed to be a bit apprehensive. What the hell was going on? Pogue knew Caleb wasn't one to be extremely excited to go to parties but this time he sounded too….Pogue couldn't tell for sure.

"Okay, so whose party is it?" He asked suspiciously still unsure about Caleb's voice tone and he got even more suspicious when Caleb stuttered a bit. That was it, something really weird was happening because Caleb _never_ stutters. Even when that boy was scared to death, he always made sure to put up a strong front.

'Well, you see, Sarah got this text and then she thought it was a good idea to go, so…" Caleb started to ramble, making Pogue feel frustrated he wasn't getting the answer to his question.

"Speak up, Caleb!" Pogue interrupted him, already knowing that Caleb would be able to go on and on.

"It's…um… Ryan Bael's birthday party," Caleb admitted in a voice that revealed the guilt he was feeling. Pogue started to see red but tried to push it aside, preferring to get really angry and lash out at Caleb after he had heard the whole story.

"Okay, so are you and Sarah going? _Just _the two of you?' Pogue asked in a forced calm voice but the few seconds Caleb took to reply already answered his unspoken question. That moment Pogue didn't have the patience to try controlling his uprising anger. "What the hell were you thinking? Taking _her _to Bael's party? You know who will be there for sure! Do you want the two of them to meet and live happily ever after?" Pogue asked in a furious voice that also revealed how bitter he was still feeling, even after two years since it had happened.

Even though Caleb understood his friend he couldn't help but to roll his eyes. Pogue had always have a flare for the dramatics and it was definitely showing that moment.

"Look man, I know you are mad but if you think about it, they will meet sooner or later. The only problem here is that it's going to be sooner than late and you're not ready for that to happen. No offense, of course," Caleb added quickly afraid that his little piece of mind could anger Pogue even more.

Pogue ran his hands through his thick dark brown hair only to make it messier but he didn't care as he was now trying to organize his thoughts without much success.

"You're right," Pogue conceded tiredly but then surprised Caleb with what he said next. "I'll go to this damn party."

"Are you sure? You never know what might happen; we're talking about _that guy_." Caleb tried to warn him, knowing that if something did happen, not even the cops or him trying to calm Pogue down by using his powers would be able to stop the massive fight that would probably take place.

"Sure, why not? I should be there to put a stop on it," Pogue said with a confidence that surprised Caleb again.

"Okay, but I just have one question: what about Kate? You're all worried about Avery that you forgot your girlfriend. I'm sure she won't appreciate being left out just because you want to make sure Avery and some guy won't get it on," Caleb said and Pogue remembered that he had a girlfriend who was still pretty mad at him because of Avery.

"Whatever, I'll take her to the party so she won't be suspicious. Besides, Sarah can distract her or something," Pogue waved it off; not wanting the perfect plan that was already formed in his mind to be ruined. Caleb laughed at his friend naivety; Pogue could be a strong and big guy but the hold Kate had over him was tight and the worst part of it was the fact Pogue was yet to realize how whipped he could be sometimes.

"Man, you don't know your girlfriend well, do you? Once she finds out Ave is at the party, she won't leave your side and I'm not too sure Sarah will want to be entertaining Kate tonight, you see, she went out with Avery and now the two of them are best friends," Caleb said and Pogue huffed, this was _not _being a good evening.

"I don't care, just give me the address and I'll be there in one hour," Pogue demanded impatiently and hung up after Caleb recited the address. He should take a shower and get ready.

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"I still don't understand why you want to go to this party," Reid grumbled from his spot at her bed. After she and Sarah had been done shopping and had spent almost five thousand dollars on dresses, shoes, bags and everything a girl could dream, Avery had returned to her room, only to find out that Reid was there and had already made himself at home.

"You know why, besides, I never thought you would be the one to refuse a party with free alcohol," Avery said while checking her reflection. She was wearing one of the dresses she had bought at Maxfield that afternoon. Reid chuckled loudly before getting up from the bed and coming over to stand behind Avery. She didn't turn around and just smiled at their reflection.

"Need help with that?" Reid gestured to the white gold small necklace inside the open blue Tiffany jewelry box.

"Yes, please," Avery nodded relieved, just because she was never able to put on any necklace by herself. Reid carefully picked up the jewel and caressed the side of her neck, making her sigh.

"Hold your hair," He instructed her, surprising them both when his voice came out like a husky whisper, the kind of tone used when trying to seduce someone. In shock, Avery just did what she was told and lifted her long brown hair, being careful not to ruin the curls. Reid's breath was on her neck, prickling the hairs there and making her have the weird desire to turn around and kiss him.

'This is not right!' Avery screamed inside her head a bit desperate. The two of them were always teasing each other with small kisses on the corner of the mouth; they were used to sleeping on the same bed; Avery had already seen him naked and so had Reid. Not only that but they had kissed when they were twelve, her first kiss. She wasn't above admitting that she had had a crush on him in the past but all of that had changed when she began dating Pogue and their relationship went from almost girlfriend and boyfriend to best friends that had a playful banter.

Reid was deliberately taking more time than he needed to fasten the necklace just because he wanted to see her reaction. He didn't know what was happening inside his mind to make him act like that but after a few seconds he had stopped thinking and every move he was making was based on instinct. Reid slowly ran his hands over her neck again and finally fastened the necklace, a bit afraid of what he would be capable to do if he stayed in that positing a little longer. He distanced himself from Avery and she finally turned around.

"What the hell, Reid?" She wanted to say forcefully and got mad when a she could manage was a breathy whisper. "Why did you act like that?"

Reid wanted to smirk and give an innocent big bad wolf smile but couldn't when he looked into her bright and confused blue eyes as they demanded an answer from him. That was when he started to feel a little guilty; he knew Avery had enough to handle, from her feeling for Pogue to whatever she would have to deal with that night at the party. Maybe he shouldn't have done that, but Reid knew there was a possibility she would arrive at Bael's house with him and leave with another guy, especially _him_ and Reid didn't want that to happen.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I was thinking about the past and I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry, Ave," Reid said seriously and she nodded. It wasn't like she didn't think about them in the past, so who was she to judge him?

"It's fine," She nodded her head and stepped away to grab her shoes. After putting them on, she twirled slowly. "How do I look?" Reid looked at her in the eyes before answering.

"Beautiful, so you're ready to go/ I'm driving tonight," Avery laughed at that thought. Reid never drove, at least his own car, he was riding with someone else.

"Did you steal a car?"

"My mother gave me the Jaguar last month. So, would you like me to help you getting in the royal carriage?" Reid bowed down and opened her room's door.

"Yes, Milord," Avery also curtsied, her already short dress ridding up even more.

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Ryan Bael's house was just like the ones that all the rick kids in Spenser had: extremely big, richly decorated, probably by some hotshot decorator from Boston and perfect to host a party with hundreds of guests. At least that was what Avery thought when she and Reid parked on the front yard, a line of other equally luxurious cars already formed there. The music was loud as usual in a party and just by looking at some of the guys; the alcohol should be flowing freely for quite some time. Avery hesitated before walking up to the area where everyone was.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked concerned. She just nodded her head and flashed him a confident smile.

"Yeah, let's get this over with," She said and they began walking.

It was clear that Ryan had gone out of the way to make this party unforgettable, perhaps with the intention of really celebrating his eighteenth birthday. The place was packed and Avery noticed that everyone was dressed in a different way like they were at a different event; some girls were wearing long and sequined dresses as if they were attending a charity ball at the Plaza, others were wearing jeans and many had brought a bikini with them and were already in the pool, enjoying the heat that was still in Ipswich as a summer's remainder.

Avery saw a group of boys and a few girls flaunting over them and if her memory served her right, Caleb's group and Ryan's were always the most chased by the girls, so Ryan and _him_ should be there, looking as charming as ever. Avery adjusted the curls that were framing her face and began to walk towards them, but stopped when she realized she had no idea what she was going to say, a hi, how are you was just lame. Avery turned around and decided to look for a drink. After a few mojitos made by the cute bartender; Avery was feeling way more courageous and turned around confidently, only to crash into the birthday boy.

"I'm sorry, I really wasn't looking where I was going," Avery said quickly and smiled when she saw the look on his face. He had already recognized her and was just trying hard to remember her name. Avery saw his face lighten up before he swept her off her feet to envelop her in a hug.

"Avery Darling! Look at how grown up you are!" Ryan fussed over her and she wondered how long it would take for him to stop doing that and before he started talking about other things. Five, four, three, two, one...

"Does Aaron know you're here, not only here at town, but _here_?" Ryan asked, even though he already knew the answer. If Aaron knew Avery was back in Ipswich, he certainly wouldn't be flirting so hard with Kira and other girls. He knew his best friend could be a heartless player sometimes, but Aaron would always respect and have feelings for Avery.

"No, I was going to talk to him earlier but he seemed to be busy and I didn't want to interrupt," She drawled the word busy and took a sip of her mojito. "So how does it feel to be eighteen and have this awesome party?" Avery asked with an excitement in her voice.

'Can you believe in it? I just wanted a small party with twenty guests but then Aaron and Michael came in and made this," Ryan gestured to the grand party animatedly, looking like a little child on Christmas. "I thought it was going to be the guys and beer but it turned out this way. Can't say I didn't like it, though,"

"I'm glad you're happy, Ry. But I hate to tell you I'm crashing your party and didn't bring a gift," Avery smiled while showing her empty hands. Ryan laughed, ready to retort her when a hand clasped his shoulder and Avery felt her breath catch after she saw the owner of the large and masculine hand.

"Ryan, we want to show you the surprise we got," Aaron Abbot told his friend excitedly, so much that he almost didn't notice Avery standing beside Ryan. _Almost_. In reality he had noticed her and his face was one of utter shock. Ryan between the couple, started to feel like he was intruding in a very intimate moment.

"I'm sure the surprise can wait a few minutes," Ryan kissed Avery's cheeked and patted Aaron on his back, seriously hoping those two could at least try to fix their relationship.

"I didn't know you were back," Aaron murmured while running his hand hands through his dark brown hair, making his neat appearance disheveled.

"I went to school on Friday," She said on the same tone, afraid someone would burst their little bubble causing the moment to be lost. "But I didn't see you there,"

"I skipped with Bordy and Michael so we could take care of the party's last details. I would have sent them without me had I known you were back, always imagined you would call to let me know," Aaron explained chuckling. He had waited so long and even had dreamed about the day she would be back so they could be together again and when it had happened, he was skipping with Bordy and Michael. Damn.

"After one year and half, I didn't think you would want to talk to me. Especially after what happened," Avery tried to explain, feeling a little giddy inside as Aaron seemed to have missed her and willing to forgive.

"Well, I can't say I wasn't hurt by what happened that night and after but I still think about you, Ave," Aaron grabbed the hand that wasn't holding the drink and Avery sighed contently, not even aware of the party going on.

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Pogue entered the party with his girlfriend, Caleb and Sarah and promptly ignored the looks and whispers that they were receiving probably because, one: they were the sons of Ipswich and always got attention when they entered a place and two: everyone knew that their clique and Aaron's group hated each other, so the guests figured they must be crashing the party.

"Reid and Avery are already here," Caleb whispered so Kate wouldn't hear him. She had been really suspicious when Pogue insisted that they should go to Ryan's party, especially because Kate knew that Pogue didn't like to out too much, preferring to spend a quiet evening with his friends and watch a movie.

"Okay, I think I'll go look for her, just to make sure nothing is wrong, you know?" Pogue told Caleb but more to reassure himself he just wanted to see if she was okay and if Aaron hadn't hurt her in any way and not because he wanted to make sure that Avery and Aaron wouldn't make up.

Caleb just threw him a glance but said nothing. He had decided he wouldn't try to interfere between those two and would let Pogue commit his own mistakes before figuring out the right thing to do to get Avery's forgiveness as he knew that even after so long, his friend still felt guilty about what had happened.

Pogue managed to give Kate an excuse and started to search for Avery through the throng of people, which wasn't an easy task, as she was a petite girl and he had no idea if she was wearing a dress or jeans. A light came over his head when he saw Reid talking to a blonde girl at a corner.

'Will you excuse for a minute?" Pogue asked politely while grabbing Reid's arm to take him away from the girl. "Have you seen Avery?"He asked and Reid laughed, causing him to tighten his hold on the blond boy's arm.

"Yeah, but I think you're kind of late. She was with Aaron last time I saw her and they looked really, how can I say this?, into each other," Reid felt a bit bad after he had said that but then remembered about what had happened in the past and that Pogue had a girlfriend now. "Leave her alone Pogue, you're dating Kate now. All this you're doing only hurts her more, especially when you say you're not over her only to come back to your girlfriend's arms," Pogue looked down at his hands and Reid knew he had hit _the_ spot.

"I never did that, it's not like you're thinking," Pogue tried to defend himself but Reid was having none of that.

"It's only a matter of time before you do, or do you think I'm so stupid that I haven't realized you're only looking for Ave because she may patch things up with Aaron and you don't want that? You're just too proud to let her be with him," Reid said forcefully and when Pogue opened his mouth he raised his hand to interrupt him. "But since you still want to _talk _to her, they're at the pool house," As soon as Reid delivered that information, Pogue bolted out of there, leaving Reid alone and frustrated. How many times would Pogue hurt Avery before he realized it was better to leave her alone?

He walked up to the blonde girl and grinned. This was the perfect medicine for this headache he was getting from worrying about Avery.

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"So New York was that entertaining?" Aaron asked laughing. It was good to talk to her again, like good old friends, exactly how they used to be.

"Yeah, Jeremy made it that entertaining. The rest of us just lived in it," Avery said thinking fondly about her crazy older brother. Aaron nodded, also smiling.

"Damn, I remember I used to admire Jeremy so much. It was as if he was God. There was this time when he took all the boys to the Four Season in Boston and we had this amazing party at the penthouse and this girl just…" Aaron began to ramble excitedly before Avery interrupted him with an expression of disgust on her face.

"Wait, I don't really want to know that," Avery made a gagging noise and Aaron laughed.

"I'm really happy you're back. Now we can be friends again and hopefully, no drama this time," Aaron said looking into her eyes so deeply that she felt a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, look we should be getting back; don't you have the big surpri…Pogue? What are you doing here?" Avery stopped mid sentence to inquire Pogue who had entered the pool house hastily, disrupting their talk.

Pogue just stared at Avery and Aaron, feeling relieved because he was expecting to find the two of them half naked with their lips glued and stupid because he had entered the room like an idiot only to find them sitting at opposite chairs and just talking.

"I wanted to talk to you and Reid told me that… he had seen you here… so I figured," Pogue wanted to hit himself on the head, he was now stuttering and rambling like some nerd who had no idea how to talk to a girl.

"Really, you had an immense desire to take to boring old me?" She raised her perfect dark eyebrow before chuckling. "I don't know why, but I seriously doubt that," Pogue had an entire afternoon to call or text her but he had chosen not to so it just didn't make sense that he would want to do that now.

"I was just thinking, you know and I…" Pogue tried to continue but was clearly losing his train of thought. The silence left room for Aaron to say what he wanted to.

"What the hell are you doing here, Parry? I made sure to leave you out of the guest list," Aaron demanded, growing angry by the second. He wanted to throw a party for one of his best friends and that jerk had to come just to ruin it.

Even though Pogue was angry, he didn't let it show, opting for shoving his hands on the dark jeans' front pockets and taking a rigid stance.

"I think you didn't organize this too well, I walked in through the main entrance and I was welcomed," Pogue laughed and that made Aaron more furious, causing him to stand up and grab Pogue by the collar of his shirt.

"Get out of here you fag!" Aaron growled and Avery had to intervene, moving to stand between the two of them.

"Come on guys, no fighting, okay? Aaron, you really should give Ry your gift," She pushed him to the door, wanting to stop the fight before it started, as she knew that when they start to throw punches, she would never be able to control their actions anymore. "I'm serious Aaron," Avery said sternly and he understood the message, walking through the door but not before glaring at Pogue.

Avery sighed in relief and took a deep breath before turning around to look at Pogue, who was standing in a rigid stance with his fists tight closed. She rolled her eyes impatiently before talking.

"What do you want, Pogue?"

"I just wanted to talk to you and try to stop you from making something stupid, again," Pogue explained and didn't notice that Avery was fuming, ready to pounce on him.

"So it's now your duty to see if I'm not making any stupid mistakes? That is rich!" Avery laughed sarcastically while rolling her small diamond ring fast on her finger as in a way to control her anger.

"Why not? Everyone is busy and I thought I would be a good friend and help you out, but of course you wouldn't want that," Pogue exclaimed getting frustrated with her. Couldn't she see that making any contact with Aaron was just wrong?

"We're not friends, Pogue, haven't been for two years. Friends don't do what you did, so do me a favor and leave me alone please," Avery said before leaving the pool house, mad that she wasn't able to let out the booming and angry tone she would have liked. Mad because she acted vulnerable in front of him, again.

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After spending good fifteen minutes in the bathroom, reapplying her makeup, Avery felt a lot better, especially because she didn't feel so exposed, sensing that everybody knew she was about to cry. Apparently in those fifteen minutes Ryan's surprise had been given to him as everyone was reunited in the enormous living room, watching the interaction between the four friends. Aaron hugged Ryan in that usual manly way and stepped away from them. Avery was following him with her eyes and thought it was the perfect time to approach him again so they could talk like before.

"Babe let's go!" Kira Snider told Aaron before bringing his head down to give him a kiss that should be forbidden in public.

Avery felt she was rooted to the ground as she watched that scene. Stupid, just like Pogue had told her she was. Stupid for thinking that Aaron wouldn't move on with another girl and for thinking he would be waiting for her. This time she couldn't stop the tears that were coming, ready to spill from her bright blue eyes. Avery hastily wiped them before looking around to check if anyone was watching her. She needed to get out if there quickly but then remembered that she had come to the party with Reid so she had to find him to leave.

However, destiny wasn't working her way and Reid was nowhere to be found. Probably he must be drunk and passed out cold on some room. At least that's what she had thought before seeing him furiously making out with a blonde in a dark corner. Avery felt her throat closing and she really didn't think she could breathe properly. Three guys she really liked had managed to hurt her in the short period of thirty minutes. Apparently this was not her day.

She took her iPhone from her purse to call Ian, the family driver, since her ride was definitely busy and she didn't want Caleb and Sarah to see her like that, even though Caleb had been with her when she had her meltdowns.

"Hey Ian, could you do me a favor? I'm at a party and my ride has…" Avery was saying slowly when someone tapped her on the shoulder causing her to almost jump in shock. She turned around and felt a lot better after seeing it was Tyler. "Ian, can I call you in a minute, thanks," She hung up and looked at Tyler. "Hey Ty, I didn't know you were here,"

"Reid called me and told me everyone had come so I thought anything would be better than staying trapped in that dorm room," He gave her that adorable puppy smile but frowned when she didn't smile or grinned like usual. "What's wrong?" Tyler caressed her cheek and noticed it was wet. "Ave, are you crying?" He asked concerned. Avery was always so bubbly and full of happiness that it was just really strange to see her sad.

"Can you take me home, please?" Her voice was so small that it could belong to a small child. Tyler looked down at her and nodded. How could he deny her anything when she looked so miserable?

"Okay, let's get you out of here," Tyler said and gently guided her by the arm, leading her to his car's direction. When they got outside, he noticed that the weather had changed drastically and instead of being nice and warm, it was chilly, beginning to get cold. He looked at Avery and saw she was shivering and trying to get warmer by rubbing her arms up and down and acting like the gentleman he was, Tyler took his jacket off and offered to Avery, who accepted it with a small smile.

"Thanks, Ty," She said after they got in the car. Tyler wanted to answer that he would do this again and again just because she was an amazing girl and he really wanted a chance to show her he could be a nice boyfriend but he just went with the usual words.

"It's okay Ave, anything for a friend, right?"He said and focused on the road. Avery snuggled on his coat, feeling that it could protect her from all this embarrassment she was feeling. She wiped one last tear before closing her eyes, the sound of the engine comforting her.

A/N: I got a little excited with this chapter and kept on writing but it was all because of your amazing review that made so happy, so a huge thanks for those who reviewed. I'll wait to know your opinion before writing the next chapter. So, do you think I should let Avery have a relationship with Tyler or should she be with Reid, or Pogue or Aaron? Are you wondering about what happened between Avery and Pogue's relationship? Next chapter some of the secrets will be revealed in the flashback scenes! Until next update!

PS: I'll try to put the pics of Avery's and Sarah's dresses on my profile so you can visualize it better


	4. The problem with love triangles

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant**

**Chapter Four: The problem with love triangles**

There were a few rays of sun, making the sky take a beautiful tone of blue, pink and yellow. When Avery looked at the sky and saw it was almost morning, she realized she hadn't slept at all through the night. Not because she didn't want to, but because the thoughts about Reid, Aaron and Pogue were flowing freely inside her head and she just couldn't turn them off and sleep in peace.

Figuring it was too early to have coffee; Avery grabbed one of the many bottles of mineral water that had been stocked in the minibar near her bed and went to sit on the blue futon to watch the sunrise. As the sky became blue, Avery tried to remember all the things that had happened the night but gave up after a minute because the image of Reid and Aaron kissing their respective girls appeared behind her eyelids. Not only that but she also could almost hear the harsh words she had exchanged with Pogue and all of that was not putting her mind at ease. It was actually making her more anxious, as she had no idea what she was going to say next time she saw Aaron.

That moment, the only thing able to put a smile on her face was Tyler, sweet and nice Tyler who had never done anything to hurt her. Avery knew she probably shouldn't get involved with him, as he was Reid and Pogue's best friend and she still had some kind of feelings for both of them, but that was proving to be difficult because Tyler was just so damn cute. Avery was now wondering if it would be so wrong to just hook up with Tyler or date him. Even though Pogue was dating that Kate girl and Reid was having random hook ups with various girls, she didn't think she would be able to have a relationship with the two of them near her. At least, in New York, she thought about them occasionally but could pretend they didn't exist and that her failure of a relationship with Pogue had never happened. But they were there, close to her, their everyday presence reminding her that all the horrible things she had tried so hard to avoid _did_ happen.

Not wanting to get tangled on memories and confused thoughts, Avery threw the empty bottle on the trash and got back to bed, slipping under the comforter. She grabbed the remote control and smiled when she saw that 'Pirates of the Caribbean' was starting. Two hours watching Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp could take her mind away from a certain blue eyed Tyler Simms, but that was wishful thinking.

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When Reid awoke and opened his eyes for ten seconds, he realized that he was in unfamiliar surroundings, with a blaring headache and an arm draped over his upper body. Something was very wrong there. He remembered that he went to the party with Avery so therefore he should have left with her. Reid turned around slowly, being careful not to wake up his bed partner, and faced the blonde girl who was still asleep. He couldn't exactly tell what had taken place the night before as the only recollection he had were a few flashes of his little argument with Pogue, how he had started to drink and a pretty girl who was coming on to him hard.

Just as he was preparing to detangle himself from her and bolt out of the room, the blonde opened her eyes and offered him a sweet smile. Then he remembered that, horny and tipsy, he had agreed to go to Danielle Walker's place. At that time, she seemed to be a hot girl who wasn't expecting any commitment from him but now judging her anxious smile, it looked like things had changed overnight. Already knowing that Danielle was probably going to be clingy and all that, Reid started to think of the fastest way to get out of there.

"Hey Reid," Danielle purred, trying to seduce him again. Reid just gave her a weak smile, hoping she would notice how uncomfortable he was in the whole situation. Usually, he kissed the girl fervently, left her wanting more and bolted out of the room promising he would call her. But the headache was not letting him think properly. Moments like those made him wish he had woken up on Avery's bed, so she could take care of him and not next to some random chick. "Do you want to grab some breakfast?"

"Yeah, but I promised Tyler I would help him with something, so I think we'll have to take a rain check," Reid got up, not caring he was naked, and started to pick up the clothes that had been thrown on the floor. After he was dressed, he felt more in character and flashed her one of his famous smirks. "But don't worry; I'll give you a call," Reid promised in that seducing tone before closing the door without looking back.

"But you don't even have my phone number," Danielle whispered when he was leaving. So much for thinking she would be the girl who could tame the untamable Reid Garwin. But at least it had been fun, lucky for her she didn't act like one of her friends who had completely fell in love with him, only to be broken in the end. She wasn't that stupid.

00000000000000000000000000000000

Tyler sighed in pleasure when he grabbed the cup of steaming coffee, enjoying the familiar and delicious smell. It was eight in the morning in a Sunday but unlike other occasion, in which he was always furious when he was woken up before eleven, Tyler was quite happy and couldn't wipe the grin that had installed on his face even if he wanted to.

For starters, he thought he was making some progress with Avery. At least that was what it seemed when she accepted his offer to help, something she only did with Reid and Caleb. Even when she was dating Pogue, she refused to open up to him completely, preferring to cry on Caleb's shoulder, since he was always the most complacent out of them four. But now it looked likes things had changed; Avery couldn't bear to even talk to Pogue and she hadn't asked about Reid one single time during their ride to the dorms.

As he took small sips of his coffee, he wondered if he would be able to finally get the girl or if his love life would follow its usual path.

Every time Tyler started to date a girl, she would be happy and pleased with him, that is, before meeting his three best friends. After knowing the amazing trio formed by Caleb, Pogue and Reid, all the girls broke up with him in a matter of weeks, usually saying she had fallen for one of them. This was a routine he didn't want to have anymore. Sure he had had his fair share of girls, but all of them were just random hookups that never evolved to something more.

Tyler was so distracted with his thoughts that he almost jumped when he heard a loud noise coming from the front door. He turned his head and saw Reid, wearing the same clothes the night before and looking disgruntled.

"Hey man, what's up?" Tyler asked with a smile, but feeling a little guilty he was pleased with the way Reid was looking that moment.

"I got a little drunk and slept with Danielle Walker. That girl thought we were going to do anything outside the bedroom. Can you believe it?" Reid laughed while taking the Aspirin and gulping it down with water. When he didn't hear Tyler's laughter, he turned to look at his best friend, who didn't seem amused in the least. Usually, Reid would tell him about the girls he bedded in details and the two boys laughed at how naïve girls could be. But the look on Ty's face made Reid frown.

"What's going on, man? Don't you wanna know how frisky Walker is?" Reid threw himself on the couch, getting comfortable.

"I think I'll pass," Tyler said without taking his eyes off the Sports Illustrated magazine. Reid raised one eyebrow at Tyler's weird behavior but decided not to press it.

"So, did you go to Bael's party after all?" Reid asked before turning on the television. "I don't remember seeing you there."

"Yeah, I was hanging out with Henry and Jordan," he answered absently.

"So, did you see Ave? I left with Danielle and I kind of forgot about her and she was left without a ride," Reid said with a hint of worry in his voice. Tyler couldn't help but roll his eyes; Reid was always claiming that Avery was the most important girl of his life, but it was obvious he didn't think twice before casting her aside to hook up with some girl.

"Yeah, she asked me to give her a ride. And I couldn't say no, she looked so…sad," Tyler told him, knowing exactly what buttons to press.

"Oh, did she tell you if she was feeling sick or something?" Reid's head was now flipping around. Why would she come to Tyler instead of him? Avery should know that he would stop anything he was doing in order to help her. She didn't need to go to Tyler for help.

"No, she just wanted someone to take her home and you seemed to be… busy," Tyler took a big gulp of his coffee and threw the empty cup on the trash can.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have hooked up with Danielle, she wasn't _that_ good," Reid chuckled, even though he was feeling confused. "I think I'll give Ave a call, to see what was wrong with her." He bolted from the couch and walked to the bedroom, closing the door.

If Reid had looked back, he would have seen the smirk on Tyler's face.

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After her two hour session with Orlando and Johnny, Avery finally admitted to herself that Tyler wasn't going to leave her mind for quite a while. Because of that, she had been staring at the phone for almost twenty minutes, wondering if she should call him and what she was going to say if she did. As Avery was reaching out to pick up the phone, rehearsing what she was going to tell Tyler inside her head, he phone started to ring.

"Hello?" Avery answered a little bit impatient. The moment she had become courageous enough to pick up the dam thing and call Tyler, someone had done her the favor of calling in an inappropriate time!

"Hey, Ave, it's me, Reid," Avery swallowed. That moment she wished it was her mother calling to ask how her first day of school had been or to tell her the newest gossip about Julius Garter, a millionaire who had recently married an eighteen year old girl. The last or one of the last persons she wanted to talk to was Reid. Why couldn't he use his telepathic powers to know she didn't want to exchange any word with him?

"Oh, hey, Reid," She greeted him in the most unenthusiastic way possible and smirked when he coughed uncomfortable. This was so typical of Reid, feeling bad when someone didn't greet him with a puppy's excitement.

"So, Tyler told me you weren't feeling so well last night, so I wanted to know if you're better now," Reid said with a concerned voice that almost made her want to forget her decision to get over him. Almost being the key word. Reid had a way of hurting her and she didn't want that to happen again.

"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks," Avery answered in a cold tone that even chilled her.

In his bedroom, Reid wondered what the hell was wrong with her. Could it be that she was mad he left her without a ride at the party to be with some other girl? Perhaps she was just jealous. Whatever it was, Reid had to at least ask what was going on.

"Are you sure you're okay, Ave? You can tell me if something is wrong," He encouraged her to tell him something, adding extra niceness in his tone. There was a silence before she said anything.

"Yeah, I'm sure. So Reid," she started in a much more warm voice, knowing that it would make Reid relieved. "Is Tyler there?" Reid frowned after hearing her say that. Even though she had grown up with the four of them, Avery was never that close to Tyler. So why would she be asking form him now?

"Yeah, do you want to talk to him?" He asked hesitantly, hoping she would forget about this sudden desire to talk to Tyler and return to her normal self.

"Yes, could you please pass the phone to him?" Avery chirped excited and Reid got so frustrated with her strange behavior that he marched towards Tyler and dropped the phone on his lap, startling the boy who was listening to his iPod distractedly.

If she wanted to have a crush on Tyler and act on it, it was fine with him. But that wouldn't stop Reid from trying to listen to their so amazing conversation. Not that he was jealous or anything, he just had to find out what was the deal between his two friends.

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One hour had already passed and Tyler was still talking on the phone animatedly, showing no signs that he would hang up soon. As a matter of fact, on the five times that Reid had ventured himself out of the room to get some water, Tyler had been laughing like crazy and looked like he was having a great time. Reid glared at the door, allowing his eyes to become pitch black and the wood to shake for a few seconds before returning to his normal self. Hopefully, Tyler would get a shock from the power being used and would decide to finally hang up. Then Reid would have a talk with his best friend, a serious one.

"It's okay Ave, we can do that. What do you say? Lunch in an hour?" Tyler asked in a charming voice that Reid had only seen him using a few times. "Yeah, I'll be a gentleman and pick you up. But please don't act like a girl that takes another hour to get ready," He pleaded laughing. "Yeah, bye,"

Few seconds after Tyler had hung up; Reid got out of the bedroom and saw Tyler sitting on the couch, a dumb smile on his face that was reserved for the times when he was enamored with some girl.

"So, what did Avery want?" Reid questioned, an inquisitive eyebrow already raised. Tyler just held his hands up laughing, as if to say he wasn't guilty of all the things Reid may accuse him of. But apparently, Reid wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Did she say anything about me?" He asked and cringed when his voice seemed to be a bit desperate.

"No, she didn't. She was thanking me for the ride I gave her yesterday," Tyler answered giving his friend a pointed look. "We're going out for lunch, she said it was retribution," He chuckled, remembering Avery's sweet voice as she practically demanded that they had lunch together.

"Oh, so, it's just the two of you," He stated not looking too pleased; Tyler decided to ignore it and walked to the bedroom he shared with Reid, with his friend trailing after him. "Are you sure she didn't say anything about me?" Reid insisted causing Tyler to roll his eyes.

"No, Reid, she didn't" He said forcefully while opening the closet and taking out a blue polo shirt. Reid was starting to get mad that Tyler wasn't telling him anything.

"What's going on with you two? First she talks to me in a cold way and then suddenly you are best buddies." Reid pointed his finger at him in a suspicious and accusing way. Tyler sighed; Reid could annoy the hell out of him when he wanted.

"Newsflash: you're not the only one who's allowed to go out with her, or be friends with her!"He exclaimed, his action surprising Reid. Usually Reid was the one who lost his patience after a few minutes and started to throw fits. Tyler never raised his voice, unless he was really mad and always knew how to control his temper.

"But it's different, isn't it? You don't want to be just her friend." Reid softly growled "I know that look on your face, you like her!"

Tyler blushed and turned his face to the side, so Reid couldn't see that he was red. What should he do? Lying was not an option and they always had the bros before hoes politics. He couldn't let a girl come between them, but thinking well, what was the deal if he and Avery were together?

"Yes, but nothing happened, _yet," _Tyler grabbed a towel and entered the bathroom, leaving Reid with a disbelieving look on his face. That is, before it turned to a cunning grin.

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As Tyler got ready to leave for his almost date with Avery, Reid was cracking his fingers and imagining how their almost date would turn out. Tyler would probably take her to the restaurant owned by his father, the one that had a view to the lake and a romantic atmosphere even at lunchtime. Then Tyler would be all cute around her and suggest they do something that no other guy would want to do and with that impress her. Certainly impress her to the point of getting a goodbye kiss. Reid shuddered at that thought. Tyler and Avery simply weren't good together; Tyler was too sweet for her and she was just too…not cut out for Tyler. Reid sighed tiredly; he really had to stop thinking about those two.

Just as he used to materialize a glass of vodka, Tyler came into the room, dressed in the blue polo he had picked out later and black jeans. The excitement and anxiety were shown in the younger boy's movements as he jingled his car keys without stopping. Reid waited for the burning on his throat caused by the vodka to stop before talking.

"You know Ty, if I didn't know you, I would say that you've never gone out with a girl," Reid languidly said. Tyler smothered his wet brown hair but didn't reply until he saw Reid's glass of vodka refilling itself every time it became empty.

"Are you okay, man? Don't you think it's a little too early to be hitting the booze? And using?" Tyler asked concernedly. It wasn't untypical of Reid to drink but he was acting really strange that morning, being all silent when he usually liked to talk about everything with him, ranging from girls to cars.

"Yeah, I'm fi-"Reid stopped mid-sentence as an idea hit him. Tyler had a confused look on his face. "Actually, I'm not feeling so good. I started to think about the ascension and how Caleb always tells me that…" Reid was now whispering so his phrase had more effect. Tyler's face took an understanding expression as he sat down, facing his friend.

"You know, Reid, if you want to talk, I can stay," He offered with a friendly voice. Reid hid his grin.

"You can go Ty, we can talk later," He murmured in a miserable voice. Tyler stared at him. He knew that if he left, Reid would never want to talk about that again and it would be a nice change to know how Reid was feeling.

"No man, you're my friend and I should be here if you're not feeling…well," Tyler said before taking his cell phone and quickly typing a text message to Avery. He waited until the display showed that the message had been sent and put the phone away. 'You can talk to me,"

Reid was satisfied that his plan had worked, but had no idea what to say to Tyler. He had no other option but to open up to his friend for the first time in his life.

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The closet that had been so organized a few moments ago was now a mess, due to the fact that Avery just couldn't decide what to wear. After much internal debate, she decided to go with a dark green thermal top, dark jeans and flats instead of her usual high heeled shoe. Avery wanted to look good but didn't want Tyler to notice that she had gone through such a trouble just to find an outfit.

Just when she went to check her reflection at the mirror, her iPhone started to shake on the table and Avery jumped like a little girl and ran to grab the phone, imagining it was Tyler to tell her he was coming to pick her up. The disappointment she felt when she read the text Tyler had sent her was visible and one she was sure she wouldn't be able to conceal had she been in public.

Avery put the phone aside, took off the flats and slumped on the bed. She didn't want to think about the stupid text from Tyler that said '_Reid isn't feeling well, gotta cancel, rain check? talk 2 u later. Tyler_'.

For fifteen minutes, Avery continued to feel disappointed, until something on the back of her mind began to bug her. Reid wasn't feeling well, what were the odds?

"Damn, Reid," Avery whispered angrily. Reid had really crossed the line doing that.

**A/N:I know I promised there would be flashbacks this chapter but my muse didn't want that to happen now. But I promise that chapter six will be full with flashbacks! So, give me your opinion, do you guys think that Avery and Tyler should be together? Chapter 5 is halfway done. See you guys soon.**


	5. It's only the beginning

**Chapter Five: It's only the beginning**

After Mr. Andrews, the math teacher, had dismissed the class, Avery hopped from her chair and left quickly, relieved that her last class was over. Much to Avery's dismay, the day had passed much slower than she thought it would. And the main reason for that was because she was avoiding Reid and damn, that boy didn't like to be avoided.

Fortunately for her, she only had one with him and sat in the farthest seat from his. At lunch she didn't want to take any risks and preferred to talk to the guidance counselor about what she would have to do to get into an Ivy League school.

As she was walking to the dorms' direction, Avery heard a familiar bubbly voice calling her name.

"Avery!" She turned around and saw Sarah running in her direction "I haven't seen you all day, where were you?"

"I had a meeting with the guidance counselor at lunchtime and we don't have the same classes," Avery reminded the girl who got a little sad. "But it's fine, because she told me I could take the exams to get into a few advanced classes," Sarah squealed making Avery laugh.

"So, do you want to study? I can help you," Sarah offered with a smile. Avery waved her hands in a dismissing way.

"Thanks, but who the hell studies on a Monday?" She sighed before her face lit up with an idea "We could get a manicure! I bit my fingernails and now they are disgusting!" She stated showing Sarah her nails.

Sarah seemed hesitant with the other girl's suggestion.

"I don't know, Avery. We could do this Friday, but I have to study and…" She was a bit embarrassed she would have to refuse Avery's invitation. Avery, on the other hand, just shook her head before speaking.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, come on! You can get a manicure and then study. They are relaxing, you know. You'll be relaxed to study," Avery tried to reason with Sarah and the blonde laughed before nodding.

"You'll corrupt me someday, Avery Darling!" Sarah exclaimed but let Avery take her hand to lead her.

Thirty minutes later, the two girls were sitting in plush chairs at the luxurious Studio 21, a beauty salon that was frequented by the privileged elite of Ipswich. Even though Sarah had been a little hesitant at first, not used to that kind of luxury, she had forgotten all her worries the moment the manicurist started to massage her hands.

Avery looked at Sarah, who looked like a kid in a candy store, mesmerized by what was going on around her and smiled. That girl had been nothing but nice to her and she really missed having a girl she could talk to.

"So, something happened yesterday," Avery started to see what would be Sarah's reaction. Like she expected, the other turned to her with a questioning expression on her face. "Tyler agreed to go out with me on a date,"

"I knew it!" She cried excitedly and blushed when she realized that her voice had been too loud as everyone's attention was on her. Sarah murmured a sorry before everybody got back to what they were doing previously and she turned to Avery again. "It's just that the day you went to Nicky's with him, he seemed so…like he had a crush on him. So, how was it? Did he kiss you?" Sarah asked in a high pitched voice.

"It didn't happen," Avery saw Sarah frowning and started to explain "He had to call it off because _Reid _wasn't feeling well." Avery said with a scoff.

"What's wrong with that? It just means he's a good friend," Sarah said softly, laughing at Avery's bad concealed anger.

"Oh no, you don't know Reid, he probably did this on purpose. That is so typical of him," Avery gave a little growl and her blue eyes shined with fury. Sarah was just amused at that. Even though she didn't know why Reid would want to stop his best friend from going out with the girl he liked, she had to admit that if he did wanted to prevent the two of them from going out on a date that seemed something he would do without hesitation.

"What's so typical of him?" She asked curiously, a little tired of being completely on the dark, as Caleb and the others mentioned the past but never really talked about what happened. The only fact she knew for sure was that Avery and Pogue had already dated and had been in love, something that has been bothering Kate to no end.

"I rejected him on Saturday, so that means I can't be with anyone else but him!" She explained hastily but Sarah was still as confused as ever. However, judging her body language and her facial expression, Sarah thought it would be better not to make any more questions and ask Caleb about the kind of relationship Avery and Reid had shared in the past. She just really hoped that it wasn't some messy triangle between those two and Pogue." And Tyler is so cute,"

"That he is," Sarah agreed, letting herself dream about those sweet blue eyes, before snapping to reality "Not that I'm interested in him or anything," Avery laughed and the two girls shared a secretive smile.

"My whole life I've been with tough guys who did nothing but hurt me: Pogue, then Aaron, then Henry and Ritchie but of course Ritchie never looked at me like that but- " Avery stopped talking when she saw the perplexed look on Sarah's face.

"Aaron Abbot? You dated Aaron Abbot?"She asked shocked. Kate had told her that Aaron was a jerk to girls and she couldn't imagine Avery taking any crap from him.

"It was a one-time thing, please don't ask," Avery moaned and Sarah promptly nodded her head, even though her mind was flooded with questions.

"But you're not going out with Tyler at all?" Sarah changed the subject and Avery seemed relieved with that.

"I don't know. Can you believe that he sent me a text to say that he wouldn't be able to go? He asked for a rain check, though," After talking, Avery got quiet, contemplating her options. "Well, I'm not calling him. He didn't have the decency of trying to talk to me today. Do you think he's feeling, I don't know, embarrassed?"She turned to Sarah, wanting to know the girl's opinion.

Sarah merely shrugged her shoulders. Even though she had been dating Caleb for quite some time, they would always hang out more with Pogue and Kate and usually running into Tyler and Reid. She knew the boy could be shy, but she didn't know him in details.

"He's shy, Ave, I don't know, maybe you'll have to take the first step with this one," Sarah smiled as Avery seemed to lighten up.

"That would be a nice change, unless I count Pogue, he was so stubborn that sometimes I had to go after him. But usually, after a fight, he would be by my doorstep, with this huge bouquet of orchids," She said with a sad and nostalgic smile on her face.

Sarah made a note to herself so she could remember to ask about this to Caleb. By the way that everyone talked about those two, it seemed like they were really in love. What had made them break up?

"So, why don't you call him?" Sarah suggested, pointed her finger to Avery's phone and analyzing her now perfectly polished fingernail. Avery bit her lower lip, wondering if that was the right thing to do.

"Okay," She agreed and picked the phone. Her eyebrows rose to her hairline as she saw that there were five missed calls from her mother. Her mom never called that much. The only time she had called more than three times was when Avery had gone to Los Angeles for sushi with her friends and hadn't told anyone.

"Something wrong?" Sarah asked after noticing that Avery's expression had changed completely.

"My mom, she's been calling me like crazy," She showed Sarah the phone's display. "I think I'll go home to call her back," Avery opened her wallet and pulled out some money for the manicurist's tip.

"Hey, do you want to go now?! Why can't you call her here?"

"Oh, no, if I call her right now, we'll only leave in the evening. You see, my mother has this ability of talking for two straight, without breathing," Sarah laughed at Avery's misfortune. The brunette stood up after giving the manicurist her tip. "Do you want to stay a little longer? I'm sure that for fifty dollars she can continue that wonderful massage," Sarah looked tempted for a few seconds but stood up as well.

"I gotta go too; Caleb and I are meeting for dinner at his house," Sarah announced happily with her eyes glittering. Avery smiled at Sarah's admiration for her boyfriend.

"So I get it, you want to look perfect for your date with Caleb," Avery sang song making Sarah laugh.

Avery paid, ignoring Sarah protesting that she should pay at least half of the check, and the two entered her car.

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Sarah entered the majestic Danvers house and felt a little relieved when she was informed by one of the maids that Caleb's mom wasn't there. Even though the woman had been nothing but polite and nice to her, Sarah just couldn't feel comfortable around her. Evelyn Danvers exuded that old money aura that always made Sarah feel inadequate, no matter how much Caleb kept telling how stupid that was.

"Hey, honey, you're here earlier," Caleb greeted her as he walked down the stair, dressed in only sweatpants and a large Spenser shirt. Sarah giggled after seeing him. That outfit alone told her that he wasn't expecting her to arrive so early at his house. Caleb was always well put together and she was sure he would never wear that to any of their dates.

"Yeah, and you're not…ready," She stated, looking him up and down. Caleb wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing deeply.

"So, what did you do today? I called Kate and she said she didn't see you after the classes ended," Caleb frowned when mentioning Kate but his perfect smile was back in seconds "Did you miss me so much that you had to be alone thinking of me and counting the seconds?" He teased

"I went out with Avery today, we got a manicure," She showed him her long polished nails as he conducted them to the living room.

"I noticed you two are getting along really well, wonder what Kate will have to say about this," Sarah scoffed annoyed. She didn't have anything to do with Kate's insecurities and fear of losing Pogue.

"Kate is being stubborn, if she really talked to Avery; she would see that Ave has no intentions of stealing her man away," Sarah laughed as she remembered Kate's ramblings about Avery and how she bitter she probably was that Pogue had another girlfriend, blah, blah…

"Avery may not want Pogue, but I'm not too sure he wants to be with Kate as well," Caleb murmured before he could stop himself.

"Really? You think that?" Sarah asked surprised. She knew that Kate and Pogue had gone through tough times, when Kate didn't want to deal with his jealousy anymore, causing the couple to break up for a few weeks, but they had been back together and Kate seemed to be very in love with him since then, becoming suspicious when Pogue simply looked at another girl. And Pogue seemed to love her just as much, in his own way.

"I don't know. I think he's starting to get tired of Kate's behavior," Caleb concluded and started talking about another subject "So, what did you talk about?"

"Avery was supposed to have a date with Tyler," Caleb raised his eyebrow. He had noticed Tyler's interest on Avery but he hadn't thought that he wasn't going to act on it. Baby Boy was finally growing some balls. "But he canceled because Reid wasn't feeling well"

"That's so typical of Reid," Caleb chuckled

"That's exactly what Avery said! Did they have something?" Sarah asked, anxious to satisfy her curiosity.

"They had this thing when they were thirteen, nothing serious. I'm the only one who knows about it. I caught them kissing in her house in Nantucket and they made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone," Caleb told her with an amused smiled on his lips.

"Was that before or after she started to date Pogue?"

"Before; she started to date Pogue a year after we got our powers. Pogue's were intertwined with his emotions and when got angry, well, everything exploded. Avery helped him control his temper and they got together."

"Did he love her?"

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen him acting so…non Pogue,"

"But why did she and Reid end it?"

"They didn't even start it. Avery realized that Reid made a crappy boyfriend and they were better off as friends," Caleb answered chuckling. It had been after Avery decided they shouldn't date that Reid became the player he was now."

"So, is there a small chance he still likes her?"

"I would say a big chance. Why do you think Reid has never had a real girlfriend? I remember how pissed he was when he found that she was dating Pogue. He made his mother's porcelain vase explode,"

"Avery thinks he sabotaged her date with Tyler,"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past him," Caleb saw his girlfriend smile and got worried. She always got that expression when she had an idea. "What are you thinking?"

"Why don't we help them? Distract Reid for a few hours so they can have their date," She suggested, a hundred ideas in her head.

"Sarah, I don't know if we should meddle," Caleb said hesitantly but couldn't resist his girlfriend's pleading. He sighed before talking "Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Sarah grinned pleased, it was about time she put her matchmaking skills to action.

0000000000

"Yes, mom I understand," Avery snapped on the phone, tired of listening the same thing over and over. Just like she had predicted, her mother had been talking for one hour straight and gave no signs she was going to stop so soon.

"I don't think you do! With you there in Ipswich, I can't control what you're doing, you might be ruining your career and I don't know that!" Her mother, the famous Regina Darling, screeched and Avery had to distance herself from the phone a little just to avoid becoming deaf.

"I'm not destroying my career! I'm just chilling for some time," Avery explained calmly, knowing that if she got nervous or angry, a yelling match would occur. Her mother who was usually calm and reserved, a perfect old money wife, always got nervous when talking about Avery's ballet career.

'Well, this chilling of yours is not getting you in Julliard," Regina snapped but sighed, no doubt trying to calm herself "That's why I called the Prescott Academy of Dance, remember there?"

"Yes, I remember, I started dancing there. What about it?" Avery knew she was being a little…impolite, but she needed to study and was getting sleepy.

"I talked to your old teacher, Mrs. Somova and she said you could go the advanced classes there. They're performing Nutcracker in December and she told me that after seeing you dance, she may give you the lead part or a pas de deux!" She exclaimed, excitedly and Avery stayed silent.

It wasn't that she didn't like ballet. She loved ballet, that's why she had been doing ballet since she was four and why she has been on a diet since she was fourteen. But her mother had always been pushy and nearly obsessed with making her train to become a prima ballerina, like her grandmother had been.

"It's fine mom, I'll go there tomorrow, okay? But I need to go now," Avery said, knowing that agreeing with everything her mother said was the best option to get her to hang up.

"Okay honey, I'll call you to know how it went. It's not the School of American Ballet but it's better than nothing," Regina lamented and hung up before Avery could reply.

Avery put the phone down and looked at her closed and untouched books. After a yawn escaped from her lips, she decided she was tired enough to sleep. She could solve math equations later.

000000000000

Tuesday- 4 p.m.

Avery would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. But then again, she always got nervous before a ballet class started, only calming down after hearing the soft tunes of the piano. Already familiar with the place, she went to the locker room, changed to leotard, tights and a short black and flowy skirt and put her bag in one of the lockers.

As soon as she entered the room, a fifty year old woman with light blonde hair practically run to her and hugged her tightly.

"Avery, I thought we would never see you again!" Her old ballet teacher, Ekaterina Somova, exclaimed in a heavy Russian accent.

Avery patted Ekaterina's back awkwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up when she realized that everyone was staring at them, snickering and whispering.

"Thanks, Mrs. Somova," She replied a little embarrassed, trying to ignore the looks received. "I'll do my best to keep up with everyone,"

"Okay then, I'll go drink some water and then we can get started!"

Avery flashed a small smile to the other students and walked to a spot next to the window to warm up. She smiled when she saw a familiar strawberry blonde.

"Hey, you're Naomi Reynard, right?" Avery laughed, relieved that she knew someone other than the teacher in that place. "Remember me? I'm Avery Darling," She said but frowned when the girl's face remained neutral and didn't show any excitement.

"Oh, I remember you," The girl said at last, blinking her chocolate brown eyes indifferently.

Avery didn't understand why Naomi was acting like this. When she had left Ipswich the two were very close friends, as they both had controlling mothers who dreamed of nothing but seeing their daughters becoming a principal dancer at some major ballet company.

"So, how was last year?" Avery asked politely, while putting her Pointe shoes on. She had learned how to deal with those awkward situations in manners classes and she was going to handle that like a proper lady.

"Fine, we did Giselle, not that you care anyway. After all, weren't you in SAB, living your great life as a principal in the making?" Naomi asked snidely and left before Avery could answer.

What the hell was going on?

00000000

Tyler was leaning on his beloved black Hummer, outside the building of the Prescott Academy of Dance. It had been two days since he had really talked to Avery, since she always seemed busy at school and he didn't want to get in her way. Not only that but it looked like she was avoiding Reid; every time he went to talk to her, she left, claiming she needed to do some work or study. So Tyler was also keeping his distance from her, afraid to get caught in the middle of the fight those two must be in.

However, Caleb and Sarah had come to him with a plan that was so good that he needed to go through with it. That's why he was in the cold, waiting for Avery's ballet class to end and if Caleb was right, it should be about any time that moment.

"Tyler?" Avery asked surprised. She was wearing a white long sleeved shirt under a red cardigan and dark jeans. Tyler smiled when he saw her, perfect and fresh, like she hadn't danced for two hours straight. "What are you doing here?" Avery thanked the heavens for the fact that she had taken a shower after class and quickly pulled her wet hair in a ponytail, so she could stop feeling like a drowned rat.

"Well, I had to cancel our date, so I'm making up to you, starting, now," Tyler put his hand inside his right pocket and took out a small chocolate bar. He grinned and waved it on her face, which made her laugh before grabbing the candy from his hand.

"You really know how to ruin a girl's diet, don't you?" Tyler eyed her appreciatively, his eyebrow arched in a suggestive way.

"You don't look like you need a diet," He opened the door so Avery could step into the car "At least not form where I'm standing," Avery turned around abruptly and smacked his arm, not really believing she had heard that from Tyler. She was used to Reid saying that, sometimes Pogue and rarely Caleb. But Tyler had never said things like that, at least not to her.

"What happened to the sweet Baby Boy?" She asked from the passenger seat. Tyler didn't answer as he had already walked to the driver seat and was now buckling up.

"Went to take a walk on park, what, you want to talk to him?" Avery smacked him so he would stop being so cheeky, not that he wasn't sexy with this newfound personality.

"Ha, ha funny," She said sarcastically "Where are you taking me?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out later," He smirked and started the car.

Tyler was spending way too much time with Reid.

00000000

Pogue was massaging his temples, as he felt a blaring headache coming, and as much as his good sense didn't want to say, it was because of his _loving_ girlfriend that was standing in front him.

"What's wrong with me going?" Kate inquired with suspicion shining on her dark eyes, causing Pogue to sigh in frustration.

Kate was throwing a tantrum for nothing; imagining evil when there was none. All Pogue had told her was that he was going to spend the evening with the boys, something they hadn't done for a while and since they had been so tense with Avery's return, Caleb thought it was a good idea for them to have a boys' evening without any female interference.

"It's a boys' night, Kate! Why would you want to be there? Do you want to play Wii with us and drink beer?" He asked raising his voice, sometimes dealing with her could be really frustrating.

"Won't Sarah be there?" Kate scowled while mentioning her best friend's name. Or better not so best friend anymore; Kate had found out that Avery and Sarah were rapidly becoming friends and they had even shopped together at Maxfield, the store that Kate could only go to after her father had given her the monthly allowance or when Pogue was feeling generous. Other than that, she just window-shopped and bought items that weren't so expensive.

"No, she understood that it's supposed to be a night with only boys," He gave her a pointed look and she didn't even had the grace to at least pretend to embarrassed.

'Will _she_ be there?" At that time Pogue just wanted to turn around and leave but then he remembered it was his apartment, so he wanted to kick her out but that would be an ungentlemanly thing to do, so he just sat down on a chair nearby, without saying anything. "That's why you're s quiet, huh? She will be there, waiting to hang out with you, so you two can fix your relationship!"

_She_ was the codename Kate had given to Avery as she just refused to say her name out loud. But Pogue now figured that this obsession Kate had developed was getting downright ridiculous.

"Are you sure you are talking about _Avery_?" Pogue asked, not believing he was hearing that. Avery had spoken a few words with him and that had been because of her impeccable manners. "Because Avery Darling doesn't talk to me and I'm sure as hell she does not want to fix our relationship!" He blared and his eyes went black for a few seconds before returning to their normal color.

Kate, who was standing in a rigid stance, got a little scared with Pogue's outburst. Seeing his girlfriend recoil afraid of him made Pogue feel guilty and he stood up from the chair, embracing her in a hug.

"I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean to do that," Pogue assured her while caressing her back and Kate relaxed a bit, before lifting her head to face him.

"I'm sorry too. It's just that you lied to me about her and I'm scared you'll want to be with her," She said in a small voice, making Pogue feel even guiltier.

That's why he didn't like to lie. It always came back to bite him on the ass.

"Look, I can stay here, I won't go to Caleb's house," Pogue declared after a moment of silence and Kate considered for a minute. If she told him to stay, the rest of the boys would probably be mad at her and she certainly didn't want the other sons of Ipswich to dislike her. If she told him to go, Pogue would see her as an understanding good girlfriend.

"No, go and have some fun. Just remember you have a girlfriend," She pouted and he kissed her deeply.

She wouldn't lose Pogue to anyone, much less to _that girl_.

000000000000

Avery smiled when Tyler gave a throaty laugh and his blue eyes shined with glee. Somehow Tyler had remembered that the field around Morris Lake was her favorite place in town. Because of that, they were now having a picnic, sitting on blanket that had been placed beside the green grass. The longer Avery looked at everything, the more she realized how amazing Tyler was. Not only they were at her favorite location in Ipswich, but they were eating her favorite food, little grilled cheeses and drinking cocoa. Avery put her hands inside the pocket of the sweater Tyler had brought just in case she got cold.

"I can't believe you're telling me this," Tyler filled his glass with more cocoa and used it to make it warmer. Avery saw that but said nothing as she knew he was careful with his powers and rarely used, unlike his blonde best friend.

"Yeah, and then there was this huge traffic at Sunset Boulevard and all I could think about was how screwed I was," Avery was telling Tyler about the time when she and two friends had gone to Los Angeles and how she managed to crash a car, causing even more traffic. That was mainly the reason why Avery's parents decided to send her back to Ipswich and Spenser.

"What happened then?" Tyler asked, not believing that the small girl who had dated Pogue was capable of all these things.

"I had to call my dad and he sent a lawyer on his private jet to take care of everything. When I got back in Manhattan, my bags were already packed and they announced I would be going back to Spenser," Tyler's jaw dropped; he couldn't imagine someone doing that. Avery caught the look on his face and shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't feel bad for me, Ty. I deserved that. My parents may not have been the best and most present parents but I did mess up, a lot." She said after seeing the look of pity on his face that made her uncomfortable.

'It's just that I can't imagine coming home from Boston just to see my bags packed and my parents telling me I'm going to a school in another state," He explained while nibbling on the grilled cheese.

"Yeah, it's okay; I just didn't want you to be thinking that I'm a poor girl, blah blah…" Avery saw something resembling admiration passing through his feature and she put a strand of the brown hair behind her right ear embarrassed, something that Tyler thought it was just adorable. "What?"

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about how many girls came to us trying to play the victim so we would pity them and maybe hook up with them or something. You're the exactly opposite of that," Avery grinned and held his arm in an affectionate way.

"I'm a special girl," She showed him her pearly white smile and Tyler felt even more attracted to her, especially because he could smell her perfume at the small distance between them. "You'd better not let me go," Avery whispered and waited to see his reaction, staring intently at his blue eyes.

Tyler took a few seconds to react before lowering his head so their faces were on the same level.

"Yeah, I'd better not," He also murmured before catching her lips with his and giving her a passionate kiss.

That was the day when Avery Darling discovered that Tyler Simms was an amazing kisser.

**A/N: As always, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, especially xBrokenDreamerx and HopelessRomantic44, who have been sending reviews in almost every chapter. For those who want to know what happened with Avery and Pogue, Avery and Aaron, stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**PS: Yes, Naomi will appear again and will cause trouble.**

**See you guys on the next update!  
**


	6. Things that should stay in the past

**Chapter Six: Things that should stay in the past**

Avery shrugged herself off the red cardigan she was wearing and threw the wet piece of clothing inside the hamper. Not even her drenched clothes or her freezing hands and feet could wipe the smile that had installed on her face ever since Tyler had dropped her off and wished her a good evening with one of his amazing kisses. She was seriously considering inviting Tyler to enter her room so they could have at least a half hour make out session, but then she figured that it wasn't a very ladylike thing to do, especially because that had been their first date.

As she went to take a hot bath to get warmer, the memories of the last couple years came rushing into her head and she just couldn't stop them.

000000000000

_2006_

_Pogue entered Avery's enormous bedroom and smiled when he saw her asleep under the baby blue comforter. He walked over to her, making sure his shoes weren't too loud. Avery was all snuggled up and hugging Cammie, the pink teddy bear he had given her as one of her presents for their one year and six months anniversary. Pogue laughed softly when he remembered Avery questioning him the reason why he wanted to celebrate their one year and six months anniversary instead of waiting for their relationship to complete two years. He even remembered how she had raised one eyebrow and asked him if he didn't believe they would be able to spend another six months together._

_Pogue sighed and sat on the bed next to her, wanting to watch her sleep for another few minutes. Sometimes he amazed himself when he thought about how much he loved her. Pogue rubbed his hands together in an attempt to calm his nerves. He had planned a perfect evening, starting with her favorite movie, Lion King, something that made Reid laugh of her every time and ending with the perfect present that was carefully placed on his jacket's pocket. Not only that but her parents were currently in Boston, attending a charity ball and had decided it was better to spend the weekend there, and the maids were also gone for the weekend, leaving Avery all alone in the huge Darlings' mansion. Pogue ran his hand over her milky white arm and leaned down._

"_Wake up, sleepyhead," He whispered softly on her ear and she shifted but didn't wake up. Pogue laughed when she pulled the comforter so it could cover her face but continued to insist. "Come on, baby girl," Avery heard his special nickname for her and slowly uncovered her face._

"_What are you doing here?" She asked drowsily, still not completely awake. Pogue smiled at her disheveled appearance; her dark brown hair was sticking out and her eyes were still half closed. "Were we supposed to go out today?" Pogue kissed her cheek and shook his head._

"_Your boyfriend just wanted to surprise you," Pogue said while intertwining his fingers with hers and kissing her hand. "I brought pizza and your favorite movie," She sat down excitedly before realizing how messy her hair was._

"_Baby, hand me over that brush over there please?" Avery pointed to a brush that was beside the vanity, along with her perfumes and make-up. Pogue looked at the distance between him and the brush, so he closed his eyes, letting them get black and levitated the brush. Avery grabbed it from his hands and threw him a displeased look. "You know you're not supposed to use it,"_

"_I know, I'm sorry," He sighed. "Do you want me to brush your hair?" Pogue asked. He knew it may sound a bit gay, but one of his favorite things to do with Avery, other than kissing and cuddling with her, was playing with her hair and brushing her chocolate brown thick tresses._

"_Okay," She gave her back to him and sighed in pleasure when he began to caress her hair. "It's long, isn't it? I think I'm going to cut it,"_

"_You shouldn't, I absolutely love your hair," He said and chuckled a second after, "That sounded gay,"_

_Avery laughed and turned around to kiss him on the mouth._

"_You're so cute, Pogue Parry,"_

_000000000_

_The Lion King was over, just like the pizza. After an hour and half watching a Disney movie, Pogue was more than ready to do something more mature with his girlfriend. He looked down at her and saw she had dried tears on her face from crying with Simba after Mufasa's death. _

"_Honey," He whispered, caressing her cheek and reciprocating the loving smile he was receiving "I have a surprise for you. Wait here," He stood up and went to get the small package that was inside the inner pocket of his jacket. Avery did what she was told and just observed her boyfriend search for something in his jacket and turn back to her with a nervous look on his face._

"_Pogue, what is this?" She asked hesitantly, pointing to the small blue box on his hands. Pogue didn't answer right away and continued to stare at her with his mesmerizing hazel eyes. "Are you okay?"_

"_I love you, you know that, right?" He said quickly and Avery frowned. Pogue was acting rather strange that moment, fifteen minutes ago he was fine, laughing, making jokes or being silent just the way she was used to, but Pogue never rambled nervously, unless he was feeling guilty about something. Maybe he had come to her house to break up with her and didn't know how._

"_Right, but…" She said, moving her hands, compelling him to continue. Pogue scratched the nape of his nape, not knowing the best way to do what he wanted to._

"_No buts, I just wanted to make sure you knew that,"_

"_I do,"_

"_Good, because my gift won't be wasted," He replied relieved and opened his hand, allowing Avery to see the dark blue velvet box. Avery stared at the item on his hands and her eyes widened when she realized that the small box could be a jewelry box. He wasn't going to propose, was he? _

"_Pogue, is that jewelry?" She asked surprised. Even though both of them were extremely wealthy, they didn't have the habit of presenting each other with crazy expensive gifts, except for the special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries. Other than that, all Pogue gave her was flowers or Godiva chocolate and Avery liked to buy him clothes, much to Pogue's displeasure and Rosalie Parry's, his mother, ultimate happiness._

"_Yes," He opened the box, revealing a marquise cut aquamarine ring surrounded by small pear-shaped diamonds. Avery gasped and leaned on the ornate headboard. Pogue wasn't going to propose, was he? He had turned sixteen four months ago and she was still fifteen, her birthday being in two months. Pogue let out an amused laugh, despite his apparent anxiety. "I'm not proposing, Ave," He took a few steps to get closer to her._

"_Oh," Avery smiled sheepishly and looked away when she felt the blush on her cheeks._

"_I'm not proposing yet. We're way too young for this," He kissed her cheek, "This is a promise ring,"_

_Avery took the ring from its box and began to examine it intently. After a few seconds, a look of surprise took over her features._

"_This is the Harry Winston ring I wanted. My mom said it was too expensive for her to buy without a reason," She whispered, afraid that any noise would burst their bubble. _

"_I know, I called your mom to ask her opinion about what kind of gift I should give you and she told me about this ring. I called the Harry Winston store and went to New York to pick it up. They wouldn't Fed Ex it. Here, let me put it on your finger." He did and Avery was blinking back tears. Never in her life had she imagined she would love someone as intensely as she loved Pogue. "This ring symbolizes my love for you, and I want you to look at it and remember that I'll always love you and that we can be too young to get married but we will get married someday,"_

_After his small speech, tears were steadily falling from Avery's light blue eyes and she wasn't trying to stop them anymore. Of course Pogue always told her he loved her but he never talked to her about his feelings and sometimes he didn't like to open up to her. But he was telling her about his feelings and sharing his plans for the future._

_Avery smiled as she caressed the ring on her finger. Marriage. Ever since she and Pogue had started to date she had imagined how their life would be like if they got married and after the first time they exchanged 'I love you', Avery could almost picture herself sleeping and waking up next to Pogue Parry. _

_Pogue sat next to her and dried a few of her tears, smiling lovingly when their eyes met._

"_I love you so much, Pogue," Avery ran her hands through his hair; sometimes letting her fingers get tangled. She knew he loved that and it showed when he almost purred, causing her to giggle. "And I love this ring,"_

"_More than you love me?"He pouted and she dropped a small kiss on his lips._

"_Of course not, even though this is a very beautiful ring," Avery settled herself on Pogue lap and rested her head on his shoulder and nuzzled his collar bone. "I love you more than chocolate, silly," She kissed his neck affectionately._

_Pogue smiled pleased before kissing her passionately, and not with the same softness he had done a few minutes ago. Without thinking much, Avery just let her instincts guide her as she lay on the bed and pulled Pogue down with her. Avery giggled before kissing him again. They continued kissing for more twenty minutes, until Avery felt Pogue's hand caressing her leg before trying to lower her green pajama pants. She slowly removed his hands from the waistband of her pants and placed them on her hips, only for him to start tugging on her pants again after five minutes._

"_Pogue, stop that," She whined softly while he was kissing her neck, no doubt leaving a hickey she would have to hide with tons of make-up. It took a few seconds for Pogue to register what Avery had said._

"_Why?" He asked between kisses but not really caring about the answer as he had knew he could charm anyone into anything._

"_Because I don't want it to happen today," She began hesitantly. "As a matter of fact, I don't want it to happen anytime soon,"_

_Pogue stopped what he was doing and looked up to face her. The surprise was evident on his features. Avery just stared at him, nervously biting her lower lip. In their almost two years of relationship, they had never discussed sex as a serious subject and only made jokes about it. Actually, unlike the other boys in Ipswich, Pogue didn't think about sex 24/7 and felt completely fine with just making out with his girlfriend. That is until he started having naughty dreams and couldn't stop thinking about the time when he caught Avery taking off her red lingerie in the bathroom to take a shower. After going to Caleb for a much needed advice, Pogue started to think about the perfect occasion to initiate something and came up with the perfect plan. Now it didn't seem so perfect anymore._

"_I thought you wanted to do it," He said, not able to hide how put out he was. Being the only child in a rich family had caused Pogue to become a little spoiled and not used to having his request denied._

"_I just don't feel ready, Pogue." She murmured feeling exposed even though she was wearing a white tank top and pyjama pants. "Besides, I didn't know you wanted to have sex. Don't you think we're too young?"_

"_No! I mean, I'm sixteen and you'll be sixteen soon," Pogue began to caress her cheek and sighed when she just looked down and didn't offer him a reply._

"_It doesn't matter, I'm not ready to have sex," Avery sat up completely, not wanting to be laying down for that kind of talk. She timidly held his hand before asking, "Are you upset with me because of that?"_

_Pogue gave her a smile and kissed her lips quickly before hopping from the bed._

"_Of course not, Ave, I gotta go, the boys are waiting for me at Nicky's," Pogue said hurriedly as he put on his leather jacket._

"_You sure you don't want to stay? I can make popcorn," Avery offered, cringing at the visible desperation in her voice. Not that she could help it, though._

"_I really need to go; I'll call you later, okay?" He was already walking to the door's direction and stooped when he heard Avery's small voice._

"_I love you,"_

"_I love you too, baby," Pogue simply said and left._

_Avery sighed before looking at the ring on her finger and admired the way it shined against the light. Pogue had given her a jewel that was worth fifteen thousand dollars as a promise of his love for her. Sex wouldn't be able to ruin them, would it?_

_00000_

"_What do you think I should do?" Avery asked a bit desperate._

_After almost three weeks that Pogue had given her the ring and they had their first sex talk, Avery could notice that Pogue was not acting like usual towards her. That was the reason why she was pouring out her concerns to the person she knew it would be able to help her: Caleb._

"_I don't know Ave; don't you think you're overreacting a little bit?" Caleb handed Avery a bottle of water and stared at her appearance. Avery wasn't the kind of girl who believed that it was essential to always have make-up on and those things, but she always looked nice. At that moment, Caleb could see small bags under her eyes and her messy hair._

"_How could I be overreacting?" Avery took a small sip of the water and set the bottle aside. She was too nervous to drink anything and Caleb wasn't helping her. "I'm losing Pogue," She whispered to herself in a broken voice._

"_Pogue loves you, Avery. You're definitely not losing him," He declared to the girl who looked about to cry. "He's a guy and has…needs," Caleb cleared his throat before looking at Avery who looked more desperate than before. Clearly that had been the wrong thing to say. "He's probably feeling awkward or something. It's nothing worth of your concern. Besides, don't you have your big party to worry about? It's in a month,"_

_Avery cracked a smiled at the mention of her party, her sweet sixteen birthday bash that she had spent so much time planning it._

"_I'm going to pick out my dress today, so there are like twenty racks filled with clothes so I can choose something. Do you want to come with me?" She suggested, blinking her bright blue eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to resist them._

"_Oh, man, do you want me to watch you try on fifty dresses or more?" Caleb groaned because he knew he would say yes after all. "Let's go, maybe you'll like the first dress you try on." He grabbed his wallet and opened the door._

"_I really doubt it," She chirped happily as she threw her purse over her shoulder and followed him. _

_Talking to Caleb always cheered her up._

_00000_

"_No mom, you should make more reservations. Have you even seen the number of people who have RSVPed? I can't let my friends without some place to sleep!" Avery practically screamed on the phone, stressed with her mother._

_Her party was in two weeks and Avery was already beginning to regret her decision of having her party in New York, more precisely in one of the hottest clubs in Manhattan, Bungalow 8. At first she wanted it to be at some hotel in Boston, but then her paternal grandmother, Letitia Darling, suggested the nightclub. Her mother immediately fell in love with the idea and got Avery to agree with her after some time._

_It was only in that moment Avery realized how stupid she had been when agreeing with her mother. While listening to Letitia and the party planner talk about how grand and luxurious the nightclub would be especially decorated for her party, she totally forgot the fact that she and most of her friends lived in a small town called Ipswich and not in the Manhattan Island. After that, she had called her father and asked him to make reservations for everybody at the Waldorf Astoria. He had complained a little but did what she had asked._

"_Yeah, okay, please remember that I hate those flowers. No but she called and said the dress should be arriving this week, okay, love you too, bye," She sighed tiredly and put the phone on her bed. Whoever said that a party planner did all the work and the host could just relax was obviously lying._

"_Okay, so who's the person you just declared your love to?" Pogue asked in a light voice as he entered the room carrying a huge bouquet of lilies. Avery squealed and clapped her hands in delight. "I brought you flowers,"_

"_So I've noticed," She took the flowers from him and took in their sweet and familiar fragrance. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I come bearing gifts and that's all I get?" Pogue put a hand on his chest, pretending to be hurt. Avery smiled but in the reality she was very confused. Just a few days ago, Pogue was still brooding over something and continued to kind of avoid her. Thankfully, she had been so caught up with the task of planning her party that she had no time to cry about it or think about it over and over again._

"_What do you want then?" Avery asked in a teasing him but a few seconds later was afraid he would say 'sleep with me tonight'._

"_A kiss," He answered and Avery sighed relieved. She ran to the bathroom so she could put the flowers in the sink before hugging him._

"_Thanks for the flowers, baby," She whispered to him and leaned her head on his broad chest. It felt like it had been months since they had embraced like this. Right now she just wanted to savor the moment._

"_I've been meaning to talk to you," Avery let go off him and put a small distance between the two of them. He sensed her suspicion and laughed. "No, nothing like that, I don't want to break up,"_

"_So, what do you have to say to me?" She wasn't going to feel better until he had spoken._

"_I just wanted to say that I'm going to wait," Avery frowned, not understanding the meaning of his words. "Until you're ready, I love you too much to let you go just because of sex," Pogue declared and Avery jumped on him. _

"_Why you're saying this now?" She asked, not able to contain herself. He could have put her out of her misery a long time ago._

"_Caleb talked to me," Avery blushed, wondering what else Pogue and Caleb discussed about her. Pogue seemed to catch that. "Don't worry, Caleb didn't tell me your dirty little secrets. He just told me you were scared that I would end our relationship because you're not ready to have sex,"_

"_I'm sorry," She didn't know why she had said this but it seemed the right thing to say. She felt like she was apologizing for thinking so little of him._

"_Why the hell are you apologizing to me? I should be the one doing that, I'm sorry I acted like some immature boy when you told me you weren't ready," Pogue's arms circled her waist and Avery sighed contented._

"_It's okay, I was just afraid to lose you," Avery whispered against his neck and felt him shaking his head._

"_No, never,"_

_These two words made her day._

_00000000_

_Avery had a huge smile on her face that was hidden by the flute full of Dom Pèrignon champagne imported from France. Even though her smile was covered, anyone that spared her a glance could see how overjoyed and luminescent she looked. At the moment, Avery was celebrating her sixteenth birthday that would be in three days with her family at the Imperial, the five story building located at the Upper East Side that was owned by the Darling family for a long time._

_Patrick III, her loving grandfather, had insisted that the family should reunite to celebrate such an important occasion and everyone happily agreed because it had been a long time since the family members were together, especially at the same table, eating dinner. Like always, the mood was light, with someone occasionally cracking a joke, causing the table's occupants to laugh and small talk. Fortunately for Avery, her mother didn't mention ballet or how Letitia, her grandmother, was friends with the American Ballet Theatre's artistic director, avoiding any tension. _

"_So, Ave honey, how is that school going?" Letitia asked while sipping on her champagne. Avery smiled at her; Letitia was seventy years old- three years younger than her grandfather- but didn't show it one bit. She had white blonde hair that was perfectly combed back and her alluring green eyes were brought out by the beautiful dark green velvet dress she was wearing._

"_It's great grandma," Avery replied politely before putting a small piece of veal inside her mouth. Patrick gave his granddaughter a gentle smile before grasping his wife's hand._

"_So, are you nervous for your party tomorrow?" Patrick inquired curiously, wanting to know her feelings about the very expensive event he helped pay for. _

"_Kind of, most of my friends have already arrived from Massachusetts and have called me, so I'm relieved now, knowing that they will show up," Jeremy snorted before speaking up._

"_Please, your party is going to be in Bungalow 8. I'm sure your Ipswich friends know how hard it is to get inside. Imagine how much daddy here had to pay," He tapped his father on the back._

"_Thanks daddy," She said sweetly and saw William's lips form one of the smiles that were reserved to her. _

_The familiar sound of a fork clinking against a glass made everyone turn their attention to Patrick, who was at the head of the table, holding his flute up._

"_I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful granddaughter who's turning sixteen today and to William, who is to become the president of Darling Enterprises," he announced proudly. After a few seconds of silence, the only sound besides the piano was Regina's hushed whisper._

"_Why didn't you tell me?" She asked her husband, who was also very much surprised. Patrick set his glass down and chuckled after seeing his relatives' faces._

"_It was supposed to be a surprise, Regina," Patrick and Letitia shared a secretive smile before talking. "I'm going to retire and I want William to take over,"_

"_But grandpa, you love the company!" Avery cried, not sure if her grandfather knew what he was doing. Darling Enterprises was his pride and joy, as he was the one who managed to save the company from bankrupting and made the Darlings billionaires. _

"_I know, but I don't want to work like I do anymore, I want to enjoy life!" He exclaimed excitedly and all his three grandchildren frowned at his unusual tone. They knew Patrick Darling III was a collected man who did not talk like this._

"_You can enjoy life in Manhattan," Jeremy drawled like talking to a five year old and Avery rolled her eyes. She knew Jeremy shouldn't have had more than two glasses of champagne. "I know I do," Pat snorted and waved a dismissal hand in his brother's direction._

"_What do you mean, grandpa?" Patrick asked concerned; his grandfather was talking like he had some terminal disease and wanted to enjoy the little time he had of life. _

"_Your grandma and I are moving to Connecticut. I've already talked to my real estate agent and he sent me the papers to be signed,"_

"_Sign the papers? What do you mean, father? You've already bought a house? You don't even know how I feel about this!" William finally snapped out of his surprised daze and interjected loudly. He didn't want to hurt his father's feelings but William was mad that Patrick had already made plans without consulting him first._

"_Of course I know how you feel about this. It's been your dream to become the CEO, since you've been eighteen," Patrick said and William wasn't able to offer him a reply because it was true._

"_I know, but I don't live here, we live in Massachusetts," William ran a hand through his thick light brown hair as a way to organize his thoughts. Avery, already knowing what that gesture meant, bit her bottom lip nervously._

"_Dad, does this mean that we'll have leave Ipswich?"Avery asked in a small voice. She needed to know if she would have to leave her friends and her boyfriend behind so she could prepare herself emotionally._

"_No, it doesn't," His statement surprised everyone and Patrick's blue eyes showed disappointment. "You can stay in Ipswich, but of course you'll have to move into the dorms but I think you'll be fine. You're a good girl, Ave," Regina nodded in agreement with her husband, Patrick sighed relieved when he realized his son wasn't going to deny his offer and Avery squealed with happiness._

"_You're the best, daddy!" She knew there was a reason why she was such a daddy's girl._

"_But don't you think you're off the hook young lady. I'm going to contact Tatiana to coach you; I want to know about your progress while I'm away," Regina warned her daughter in a stern voice. She wasn't going to let Avery ruin her chances of becoming a professional ballerina._

"_Okay mom," Avery rolled her eyes._

"_So, where is this house?" William asked interested._

"_Greenwich, it's absolutely fabulous honey, it has eight bedrooms and this huge space outside that is perfect for riding. Oh, I'll finally be able to take care of a horse!" Letitia rambled excitedly and everyone smiled. Avery was happy to see her grandparents so ecstatic._

"_We'll sign the papers tomorrow, we want to move as soon as possible," Patrick held his wife's hand and his smile was a true one. He picked up the flute that was still filled with the champagne. "Cheers,"_

_Everyone on the table echoed him._

_000000000_

_Bungalow 8 was one of the hottest nightclubs in Manhattan, highly praised and really hard to enter. Avery only knew why after she entered herself the place three hours before the beginning of her party to check how it was all going. To say she was extremely pleasant surprised was an understatement; there was a huge dance floor with a glass floor that had special lightening to change colors, two bars, one was round next to the dance floor and the other was near the lounge, a space with chairs, futons, where people who were a bit tired from all the noise could go to and talk. Just like Avery had not so nicely asked her mom, there were flowers, not to the point that it looked like a wedding, and not a single yellow rose. Instead, there were orchids everywhere to make a romantic atmosphere. The party planner had told her that the stage would be occupied by the DJ but if some of the guests wanted to dance there, they were allowed. She had to give it out to her parents that made it all happen, really, because she was impressed with everything. _

_Now that the party was at its peak, with most of the guests dancing to a Rihanna song or forming a line near the bar, Avery felt relieved that everyone was dancing and having fun. It was almost midnight, and it would be her actual birthday. She had previously agreed she would have a father and daughter and after batting her eyelashes and giving Pogue the puppy look; Avery had gotten her boyfriend to agree with them sharing a dance. That had been quite a difficult task, since Pogue had heartedly protested, saying he couldn't dance to save his life, an argument Avery knew it was false, because she vividly remembered when the four boys had to take dance classes. That memory was one of the things they were too embarrassed to mention even as a joke._

"_It's almost midnight," A masculine voice said behind her and she turned around to see Caleb, who was looking as handsome as ever, wearing a white and light blue striped dress shirt with the blue bowtie she had picked for him hanging loosely from his neck. Avery hadn't had much time to talk to Reid, Tyler and not even Pogue, but she imagined that their ties would be just like Caleb's was. At least she had tried to make the boys dress more formally._

"_Yeah, I know," Avery could feel Caleb staring at her, but she didn't blame him. What she was wearing that night was different from anything she has ever worn. Her garment was a pink dress that was short on the front, reached the floor on the back and had a bodice that was tight enough to make her boobs look great. Not only that but she had spent practically the whole morning at the Elizabeth Arden Salon, coloring her hair with a famous colorist in Manhattan and getting extensions; now her hair was reaching her mid back ,had light brown- almost honey- highlights and had the perfect sexy volume._

"_Shouldn't you go find Pogue?" He asked already knowing the answer to his question. Caleb still didn't know how she had convinced his friend to dance with her when everybody's attention was on them._

"_I should. Stay close, I want to see your face while Pogue is waltzing," Avery chuckled before walking away to find her boyfriend, and Caleb could hear the noise of her incredibly high heels clunking on the marble floor._

_000000000_

_She had been looking for almost ten minutes and it seemed that Pogue had vanished off the face of the earth. Avery had asked Reid and Tyler, who were both not too sober, and the two pretty girls that were with them and they hadn't seen Pogue for some time, then she had asked the guys of the swimming team, which pretty much answered the same thing she had heard before._

_After a few more minutes of just asking around, Avery decided to check in one of the many small hallways the place had, thinking that maybe Pogue was feeling a little sick and wanted to go somewhere quiet. Remembering the balcony on the upper floor, she ran up the stairs, hoping it was the place Pogue was. She smiled when she saw him but frowned after realizing he wasn't alone. Actually, he was accompanied by some girl and they were talking in hushed whispers. Avery tried to stay as quiet as possible to listen to their conversation_

"_I told you, no. I can't do this now, okay?" Pogue's voice was distressed and he was cracking his knuckles, a gestured that he only made when trying to calm himself._

"_Why are you acting like this Pogue? You weren't like that __last night.__" A familiar voice purred and Avery's eyes went wide. What did this girl mean by last night? She had called Pogue on the day before and he had assured her that he and the guys would play poker and go to bed early, without leaving the perfectly nice room at the Astoria._

"_Shut up, someone might hear you," Pogue hissed angrily at her. Avery moved a little bit to the right and now she had the clear vision of Pogue talking to a blonde girl dressed in a skimpy red dress. Lucky for her, there was a plant that didn't let her be seen._

"_What you don't want your little girlfriend to know?" The girl laughed and Avery recognized her. It was Hillarie Gregory, a girl that was very friends with Gabrielle Thomas, one of her close friends, and had only been invited because Gabi had asked her to. For some reason, Avery had never liked that girl and now she was starting to see why._

"_Screw this, I'm leaving," Pogue growled before making a move to leave and Avery got even more rigid than before. He may be the one that was sneaking out with sluts but she didn't want him to find out she was listening the whole thing. _

"_Just give me one kiss, please?" Hillarie begged sweetly while holding his arm to stop him from leaving. Avery, who was feeling sick from the moment she saw the two of them, thought she was going to barf or faint. Either way, her vision was starting to swirl. Pogue considered her request for a minute and although the boy looked a bit hesitant, he nodded his head and let her lips touch his._

_Avery could feel the tears pooling her eyes and clouding her vision. Even though she didn't want to ruin her mascara, Avery wished that the tears were thick enough to completely cloud her vision. That way, she wouldn't have to see her boyfriend making out with another girl. _

_0000000_

"_Avery, did you find out Pogue?" It was the first thing Caleb had asked before taking a good look at her and seeing wet blue eyes. "Are you okay, are you crying?"_

"_No, I just… sneezed a lot and tears came, I'm fine," she assured him in a low voice, afraid that if she speak any louder, she would just burst in tears. "Can you do me a favor? Someone told me…Pogue is on the balcony; could you go there and get him? I need a retouch," Gods, it was even hard to say the bastard's name. How was she supposed to have a slow dance with him?_

"_Okay, I'll be back in a second," he left hurriedly and Avery went to the lavish decorated restroom, wanting to check her make-up. _

_With the white small leather couch, stocked Evian water bottles and a little box with Advil, the club's restroom looked more like a lounge with cubicles than anything. Avery sat down on the sofa and cradled her head on between her hands, feeling a terrible headache coming because of all the thoughts plaguing her mind. She just needed a quiet moment to think about how in the world she would be able to face Pogue but already knowing that a long moment would be impossible to get, Avery walked up to the sink and turned on the faucet._

_As the water ran making a soothing noise, Avery analyzed her reflection and grimaced. The genial work that her make-up artist had done was now partially gone; there were small pink blotches on her face but thankfully they were concealed by the ridiculous amount of foundation she had put on earlier. She grabbed one of the Evian bottles and gulped down the Advil, praying for the blaring to be gone soon. Avery glared at the door before opening it. The only thing she wanted right now was being able to have composure and enough grace to not slap him across the face._

_000000_

"_And there she is, ladies and gentleman!" The DJ cried excitedly into the microphone and a blinding light was focused on Avery, who tried her best to pretend she was as happy as the birthday girl should be. "So, give it up for the most beautiful sweet sixteen, Avery Darling!"_

'_She will be loved' by Maroon 5 started to play and Avery remembered the time when Pogue had taken her to Boston just so they could see their concert. Her throat closed a little and she figured it was because of the tears she had been trying keep at bay for some time. She slowly walked towards the dance floor and saw Pogue there, waiting with a small smile on his face. That was the moment when Avery really thought she was going to puke. How could this bastard be so dissimulated? He held his hand out and Avery hesitated before looking at her dad, who had the biggest and brightest smile she has ever seen him with. He was so happy that it made her feel a little better. Thinking about her father she accepted Pogue's hand, but her expression remained neutral when he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist that was even more accentuated by the dress and smiled._

"_You look beautiful," he drawled and lowered his head so his mouth was near her ear. "I love you," Pogue whispered as if he was telling her a secret. Avery stiffened, that was the last straw, and she knew she wouldn't be able to be silent anymore. The sadness and sorrow were diminished by the anger inside her._

"_How long?" She also whispered and was careful enough to not let the rage appear in her eyes. To everyone's eyes, it looked like they were whispering sweet nothings to each other. Pogue frowned and Avery took a deep breath to calm herself. "How long have you been…cheating on me?" It hurt to say those words and it hurt even worse to see his reaction. Hazel eyes filled with guilt indicated that what she had seen on the balcony wasn't a figment of her imagination._

"_How did you find out?" He turned his head to look at Caleb who didn't look so good. Avery concluded that by the time Caleb had gotten to Pogue, he was still with Hillarie._

"_Caleb didn't tell me if that's what you thinking," Avery replied tightly. "I saw you two,"_

"_It didn't mean anything," Pogue tried to explain but that excuse was way too old._

"_Yeah, I'm sure it didn't. Just tell me what I want to know,"_

"_Two weeks," Pogue answered so quietly that Avery wouldn't be able to catch that if she hadn't been reading his lips. A thought came to her and she felt more furious than ever._

"_The time you went to my house and told me you were willing to wait. Did you sleep with her then?" _

_There was a part of her that wished to never have made that question because Avery felt and heard her heart shatter when Pogue slowly nodded his head._

"_I'm so sorry, you don't know how horrible I feel," he whispered and lowered his eyes to the floor, not wanting to stare at her. It killed him to even look at her._

_Avery heard the faint sound of applause and realized that the song had ended. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from him. After inhaling and exhaling, she put on a smile and turned to the guests._

"_I'd like to thank everyone for coming! You made this one of the best days of my life!" Avery declared in an over excited voice that only three people knew it was fake, Pogue, Caleb and herself. "Join in, everybody!"_

_Couples started to occupy the dance floor and Avery was able to escape through the sea of people, leaving Pogue standing there, looking miserable with his hands stuffed inside his pocket._

_0000000_

_After forty five minutes of forced smiles and laughs, it was all over. They sang happy birthday and most of the guests had already left, including Pogue and the boys. He didn't want to leave at first but then Caleb convinced him to go back to the hotel. Avery had already changed to jeans and a heavy white coat and was waiting for her parents to finish talking to someone._

"_Hey," It was Aaron Abbott. Apparently, not all the remaining guests were her father's business associates._

"_Aaron, what you're doing here?" He was sitting on one of the chairs holding a beer. Avery looked around and didn't see any of his friends. "Bordy and Ryan left, why didn't you go with them?"_

"_I didn't want to," he answered grumpily before taking another gulp of his beer. Avery sat down on a chair next to him._

"_Why?" She asked a little concerned about his behavior, Aaron never showed sadness or anything like it._

"_I broke up with Christina," he said after a minute of silence and Avery noticed that he was clenching his fist. By the looks of it, the breakup hadn't been so nice._

"_Oh,"_

"_I liked her, that little bitch," Aaron murmured angrily. _

"_I broke up with Pogue and I liked him too," she replied to make him feel better. Well, not better, but it was always nice when you had someone to cry with._

"_Oh," he finished his beer and set the can aside. "Do you wanna get out of here?" _

"_Where would we go?" Avery asked surprised with his sudden good mood._

"_To the Central Park, I don't know," Aaron stood up and looked at her expectantly._

_Avery thought about her options: she could go home and cry her eyes out or try to forget her relationship drama for at least one night._

"_Yeah, why not?" She grabbed her purse and followed him._

_They went to Central Park and stayed there for only twenty minutes, unable to stand the cold winter weather. After that, they went to the Ritz, where Aaron's parents had a room, ordered room service and got drunk with his father's whisky._

"_I should go, it's soooo late," she drawled and giggled drunkenly. Aaron also laughed before getting up from the bed to try to stop her from leaving. "What? Aaron, let me go!" Avery whined but that only caused him to tighten his arms around her._

"_No, I want you to stay!" Aaron let his head rest on the crook of her neck. "I want you to stay here with me," _

_And he kissed her. For two minutes, Avery just stood motionless, without knowing how to react. Then her inebriated mind told her it was okay because she and Pogue were broken up, he had cheated on her, for God's sake! Figuring she should listen to her conscience for once, Avery kissed him back and didn't protest when he lifted her shirt. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could her thoughts saying 'I'm losing my virginity to Aaron", but she ignored them._

_0000000000_

_Winter break would be over in a week and everyone was preparing to return to Ipswich. It had been two days since Avery had slept with Aaron and found out about Pogue's infidelity and the only thing she wanted to do was sleep and eat chocolate._

"_Fancy meeting you here," Reid said from his place at the door and grimaced after seeing her pitiful condition. Avery saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes. _

"_You're in my house, dumbass," she snapped at him. This type of thing could be cute sometimes, but it was certainly not funny when she was going through an emotional crisis. Reid held his hands up as a sign of peace._

"_Where is the love, Darling?" He walked towards the bed and sat up. Avery turned her face to the side so he couldn't see it. Reid always knew how to read her just by looking at her eyes. He frowned. "What's going on?"_

"_I made a mistake," she whispered and Reid held her chin so she could face him. When their eyes connected, she knew she would blurt the truth sooner or later. Maybe it would be better if it was sooner. "I slept with Aaron Abbott," Avery confessed in a moan and Reid was silent._

"_And by sleeping you mean he started to snore and you were disgusted the whole time?" Reid asked with a hint of hope, but already knowing he was wrong._

"_I mean we kissed, he took my top off and…" Avery started but was interrupted by Reid. _

"_What the hell, Ave? You slept with Abbott just to get back at Pogue?!" He said angrily and didn't notice Avery's eyes narrowing._

"_How do you know about Pogue? I'm sure he didn't tell you because he was embarrassed and I know Caleb didn't tell you, so…" She stopped mid sentence after the realization dawned. "You knew, didn't you?"_

"_Yeah, I kind of caught him," Reid's voice was apologetic and he was trying to focus his eyes in anything but her. He was ready for her screams and light punches, but he wasn't expecting the response she gave him._

"_I can't say I'm surprised," she saw him frowning and continued. "He's your brother; you're all part of a covenant. Why would you choose me over him?"_

_A part of Reid wanted to tell her he loved her and he would choose her over anyone but that would be a lie, so he didn't say anything._

"_I'm sorry," he wrapped his arms around her. "So, it's all over with Pogue?" Reid just wanted to confirm what he already knew._

"_Yeah,"_

"_Did you even talk to him?" _

"_No, I don't want to talk to him! I didn't want him near me, so don't you go and try to make a happy reunion happen, Garwin," Avery warned him and congratulated herself mentally for being able to stop the tears from coming. She always cried when thinking about Pogue and the last twenty messages he had left._

"_It's fine, I just think that you should talk to him, when you're ready," Reid said. "He looked horrible this morning,"_

"_Good, he should look worse than horrible but I don't know this adjective," Avery had an evil smile on her face. It was a good thing Pogue was also suffering while she was stuffing her face with chocolate. Reid chuckled but then noticed something._

"_Why aren't you bags packed?" He asked lightly but something on his voice just screamed suspicion. "We'll leave tomorrow, sweetheart. Do you need help with your enormous Louis Vuitton bags?" _

"_I'm not going Reid," she declared after a pause and Reid didn't understand her statement._

"_What do you mean you're not going? Ipswich is your home," he said a bit desperate. "You just don't want to face Pogue or Aaron right now and that's fine, but…"_

"_It's not that, I mean not only that. My grandfather is retiring and he'll move to Connecticut in three weeks. My dad will take over the company and move to Manhattan. He told me I could stay in Ipswich if I wanted but I don't want to anymore. Not with what happened," Avery explained feeling bad she would have to leave Reid, Tyler and Caleb. But there was no way she would be able to go back to Spenser so soon._

"_Well, you should do what you think it's best for you," he said emotionless. Avery kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger on the white skin._

"_Thanks, Reid. Could you do me a favor?" She reached out to pull something from the bedside table's drawer. She placed a small box on his hand. "Could you give this to Pogue?" Reid opened it and saw the diamond and aquamarine super expensive ring Pogue had given to her._

"_You should give it back to him, Ave, not me," Reid told her and tried to give her the box but she refused to take it._

"_Please, pretty please?" She pouted and did the puppy eyes that none of the boys could resist._

"_Okay, I'll give it to him, but you should call him or something, okay?" She nodded and he kissed the top of her head. He would miss her._

"_So, why don't you call Ty and tell him to come over? We need to do something before you leave," Avery suggested smiling._

_Her heart wasn't hurting so much like before_

00000000

When Avery closed her eyes she saw Tyler and how his blue eyes glittered after they had kissed. Naw, he wasn't like Pogue. With that thought, she fell asleep.

tbc

**A/N: I know I took a little too long to update, but here it is. To avoid confusion: Avery's birthday is supposed to be on winter break, but since I'm Brazilian, I don't exactly know when winter break in the US happens. Her party was in 2007 and she came back to Spenser in 2008. Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you like this one. PS: I'll put the link of Avery's dress on my profile. See you soon!**


	7. The problem with love triangles II

**A/N 1: I'm sorry for the delay, but chapter 7 is here! Happy New Year! I hope you like the chapter!**

**Chapter Seven: ****The Problem With Love Triangles (Part II)**

A loud laugh indicated that Reid was back and not so sober. Tyler looked up from the magazine he was reading and saw Reid tripping into the room. Judging by the way he looked, Tyler figured that Caleb had loosened up and assaulted his father's liquor cabin.

"Hey man!" Reid greeted Tyler loudly. "What's up?"

"Shh! It's late and we don't need Matt coming here to complain about the noise," Tyler said, reminding Reid of the boy next door who was always complaining about the noise they made.

"I don't care about Matt!" Reid replied in the same tome and Tyler looked at him with a disgusted expression.

"You're drunk. Sober up," Tyler ordered sternly. It was more like Caleb to act like that but it was late and he didn't want to deal with a drunken Reid. Thankfully, Reid did what he was told, by letting his eyes become pitch black for a few seconds.

"I feel better now," Reid sighed relieved when he felt the fog that was covering his mind dissipate. He threw himself on the couch. "You missed out, man."

"Umm yeah, I had to finish my Chemistry assignment," Tyler explained while rubbing the nape of his neck afraid that Reid would realize he was lying. Tyler knew he was a bad liar and Reid could always tell when if he was telling the truth. Reid shrugged his shoulders and Tyler leaned back relieved. Reid couldn't care less about the excuse Caleb had invented for Tyler.

"Well, bad for you then, it was great. I kicked Pogue's ass when we were playing Mario Kart!" Reid gloated and Tyler discreetly rolled his eyes. He was sure that not even a night with the boys playing videogame and poker could top an evening with Avery, especially an evening kissing her on the rain.

"Yeah, but I'm sure we can do that some other time," Tyler said and started to read the magazine again. Everything was just perfect now; he had kissed Avery and Reid didn't know that. When Caleb approached him with the suggestion of taking Avery out on a date while Caleb distracted Reid, Tyler didn't really understand why but then he remembered how jealous and protective over Avery Reid could be.

"Yeah, but I still don't know why the boy's night was today. I don't understand why Caleb insisted so much," Reid commented suspiciously. Tyler stopped paying attention to the article he was reading and tried to analyze Reid's expression. He wasn't figuring things out, was he?

"Maybe he just wanted to hang out, who knows, huh?" Tyler suggested while waving a hand to dismiss his suspicion. The younger boy even surprised himself at how good at lying he had gotten.

"Yeah, you're right. So, why aren't you sleeping?" Reid asked before turning on the television. Tyler hesitated before answering. The only reason why he was awake was because every time he tried to close his eyes, the image of Avery smiling and telling him he shouldn't let her go appeared behind his eyelids. That image was enough to keep him awake and smiling. But he wasn't going to tell Reid that.

"I just finished the assignment and wanted to read this magazine," he showed Reid the item on his hands. The blonde didn't say anything else and turned his attention to the television.

A loud beeping noise coming from Tyler's phone broke the comfortable silence that had installed in the room. Tyler shot up from the couch to pick up the small Motorola phone and smiled when he saw the display. It was a new text message from Avery.

_I can't sleep anymore, I'm bored. Can't stop thinking about u. Wanna come to entertain me? xoxo A._

This was so typical of her. Tyler remembered a time when Pogue commented that Avery had the cute but still annoying habit of calling him Sunday morning so they could talk because she was always hyper in the morning. It looked like he would be the one who would have to wake up at eight o'clock every Sunday.

But he didn't mind it one bit.

Tyler typed quickly and went back to reading the cars' magazine, not entirely focused on it, as he was waiting for Avery to reply. Reid, who had stopped paying attention to the movie since the phone beeped, noticed that Tyler was holding the sleek phone with a tight grip, as if he was afraid someone would steal it.

"So, who was that? A girl texting you for a booty call?" Reid joked while chuckling but the smile on his face dropped after seeing Tyler's expression. "Oh my God, it is! Let me see that!" Reid lunged forward to get the phone from Tyler's hands. The younger boy widened his eyes and tried to move the object out of Reid's reach but he wasn't fast enough.

"Let's see what the girl wrote that got you all smiley," Reid smirked and Tyler smiled hesitantly. What would Reid say when he saw Avery's text? Tyler knew she wasn't inviting him to her room so they could sleep together but Reid certainly would think that.

"Reid, I…" Tyler tried to explain but Reid interrupted.

"Why would Avery send you a message like this?" He inquired in a calm voice. Tyler didn't know about his history with Ave so he wouldn't understand why Reid was mad.

"We kind of… went out on a date today," Tyler said without noticing he was stuttering. Reid's expression remained stoic, not giving away anything.

"A date, as in a friendly date?" Reid asked but he already knew the answer. It all made sense now; the reason why Caleb, who was always so responsible, suggested that they should have a boys night on a Tuesday. Caleb was covering for Tyler and Avery.

"Well, as in friends who make out," Tyler clarified and stayed silent, anxious to hear what Reid would say.

"You shouldn't be with her," the blonde stated simply and went back to watching the movie. Tyler half expected that but was still surprised.

"Why do you think that?" Tyler felt even more attracted to Avery after their first kiss and now he was convinced she was the right girl for him.

"First, she's Pogue's ex and you cannot date your best friend's ex," Reid explained like he was talking to a five year old and Tyler looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"You were with that girl, Dianna, after Pogue dated her," Reid shook his head.

"It's not the same thing. They dated for three weeks, Pogue and Avery dated for almost two years," Reid pointed out and Tyler's shoulder slumped a little. Reid had a point, maybe it would be the right thing to do was to call Pogue and make sure he was okay with him going out with Avery. But on a second thought, Pogue was with Kate and he never talked about Avery with anyone other than Caleb. "And she's not the right girl for you,"

"What do you mean?"

"You're just too different. A few years ago, yes she would be great for you, but now Avery's changed," Reid explained and hoped Tyler wouldn't question him anymore. Inventing excuses to keep Tyler from dating Avery was a hard task.

"Oh," Tyler said and sat back. They continued watching television in silence for more thirty minutes before Reid got up and went to bed.

00000

Avery smiled politely to the girls who were at the cafeteria before choosing an empty table to enjoy her breakfast. She began eating her fruit salad while reading a book. Sarah came behind her and let out a small surprised gasp.

"Are my eyes deceiving me or are you really up and eating breakfast at the cafeteria?!" Sarah asked before sitting down and Avery laughed, even though Sarah's statement was true. This was probably the first time she ate breakfast at the cafeteria. Usually the small fridge in her room would be stocked with fresh fruits and yogurt, the only thing she ate before ten. "What are you doing here so early?" Sarah pointed to the blue watch she was wearing.

"I slept for an hour and then I just couldn't sleep anymore," her voice lowered a little. "I couldn't stop thinking about Tyler," Sarah squealed excited when Avery mentioned Tyler's name.

"Oh my God, you went out with Tyler. How did it go, oh, did he kiss you?" Sarah asked without a pause and Avery didn't think she had taken a breath.

"Calm down," Avery admonished with a smile on her face.

"Come on, tell me!"

"Okay, I'll tell you. Tyler took me to a picnic near Morris Lake and we had hot cocoa and small grilled cheese. And yes, he kissed me," Avery cringed expecting another squeal from Sarah and she wasn't mistaken. The blonde girl seemed to be even more excited than she was.

"Oh, that is so romantic!" She sighed. "So, was it a goodnight kiss?"

Avery though about the kisses they had shared in the previous evening. There was their first kiss, then they kissed in the pouring rain- a cliché thing but really great to do. After that, they fell in a blissful make out session in the back of his Hummer that only lasted fifteen minutes because Tyler didn't want Reid to arrive in their dorm room and start to wonder about his absence. Their last kiss was after Tyler walked her to her room and the time Avery had to fight the urge to invite him to her room.

"Well, there was a goodnight kiss," she drawled, unable to hide the smile on her face.

"Aren't you the wild one, Darling," It was Caleb, who gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and sat down next to her. Avery noticed the girls glaring at Sarah. That was the low point in dating one of the Sons; you suddenly become one of the most envied girls in Spenser.

"Hey, Caleb," Avery greeted after she swallowed a strawberry. "What's up?"

"I should be the one asking that. How was your night out with Baby Boy?" He asked and Avery lifted an eyebrow, silently questioning him. It was a habit the two of them had developed when they were younger.

"I may have helped Tyler with this date," Caleb said in a sly voice causing Avery to smile and Sarah to smirk. "And Sarah may have something to do with it," he pointed to the girl sitting next to him. Sarah had a guilty expression on her face but it vanished when Avery shook her head, clearly telling she wasn't upset with the couple's interference in her love life.

"Sorry, Ave, it's just that you told me that you wanted to go out with Tyler so I asked Caleb and we…helped," Sarah explained although Avery made it clear she wasn't mad or anything.

"It's fine. I should have known that Caleb was behind this," she stretched her arms out. "Come here so I can give you a hug,"

Caleb did what he was told and walked up to Avery and gave her a bone crushing hug. Avery had arrived a few days ago and he hadn't had the chance to really talk to her. Avery kissed his cheek and giggled when she noticed that her lipstick had left a pink smudge on his face. She rubbed his cheek and was able to get it off, but not without causing his cheek to be pink.

"Sorry, Cal," she apologized in a voice that showed she was not sorry at all. Caleb smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Sarah felt a pang of jealousy while watching them. There was something about the way Caleb held Avery and the way they talked and laughed that made her feel a little uneasy. They looked a couple in love and that kind of bothered her.

"Oh, look, Tyler is here!" Sarah exclaimed, wanting Caleb and Avery to untangle already. Lucky for her, they did just that; Avery quickly turned around to see Tyler entering the cafeteria and walking towards their table.

"Hey everyone," Tyler said and looked at Avery. "What are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"I wanted to have breakfast," she shot him a dazzling smile. Tyler remembered something and scratched the nape of his neck.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Avery pushed the plate away and got up. "What's up?

Tyler glanced at Caleb and Sarah before looking back at her. Avery understood what he meant by that gesture and grasped his hand.

"Ty, why don't you help me with my books?" She suggested and gave Sarah a small smile.

Avery led Tyler inside the empty tutoring center, the place where she and Pogue used to sneak out to make out in between classes. It was funny to use the room again but with another person. Tyler sat on a table and Avery waited for him to talk.

"Look, about yesterday," Tyler started hesitantly.

"Yeah…" Avery tried to hide her smile but her lips curled anyway.

"I've been thinking and maybe…we shouldn't go out anymore," her smile disappeared in a second.

"Okay, why?" Last night Tyler seemed to be so excited on their date, why did he think they weren't such a good idea now?

"I talked to Reid about us and he told me that…" Tyler began explaining but Avery interrupted when she heard Reid's name.

"Wait, you don't want us to go out anymore because Reid told you it wasn't a good idea?" Tyler cringed. When she put it like that, it looked like he did whatever Reid told him to do. Avery saw his reaction. "Oh, my God it is!"

"It's not like that, he told me we didn't match and Pogue…" Avery snorted; that was so like Reid. Probably the blond told Tyler that dating his friend's ex was a forbidden thing making Tyler fell guilty or something.

"Of course he would tell you that, he doesn't want to lose his two friends!" Tyler pondered and figured that her words made sense; Reid has always been jealous of Avery for some reason.

"Oh," he couldn't think of anything better to say. Avery raised an eyebrow and Tyler felt even more stupid.

"Yeah, oh," she hopped from the table she was sitting on and started to walk towards the door. Tyler also got up from the table and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, don't leave like that," Tyler said in an imploring voice and added the puppy eyes. Avery sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist his beautiful blue eyes.

"Look Ty, I don't know what you're going to do but give me a call when you figure it out."

Avery didn't know how it happened but next thing she knew her back was pressed against the wall and Tyler was so close to her she was able to feel his breath on her neck, causing her to shiver.

"Why the sudden change, Tyler?" She asked in a whisper, not even trying to free herself from his grasp.

"You're right and I just wanted to say sorry. Besides, it's not like I would be able to stay away from you for a long time," he gave her a crooked smile and Avery seriously thought she was going to melt.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded and kissed her softly. After a few minutes, he felt adventurous and deepened the kiss.

"We have thirty minutes before class starts," Avery managed to murmur in a pause for breathing.

"It's okay," he rested one hand on her waist and the other was one her neck, pulling Avery closer to him.

Thirty minutes making out with her were more than okay.

0000

"Really Reid? I'm not the right girl for Tyler?" She inquired, quoting his previous words. Reid widened his eyes and choked. He expected Tyler to just end whatever he had with Avery without giving her explanations. He certainly didn't expect Avery to barge into his room demanding an explanation. "Why would you tell him that?"

"Because it's the truth," he answered directly. No beating around the bush.

Avery's blue eyes glittered with anger and Reid got a little tense. He knew what Avery could do when she was angry. Perhaps he shouldn't have told her his opinion like that.

"Oh, please. You know it's not the truth," Avery spat and walked towards him until they were face to face. She wasn't intimidated with the way he towered her and glared at him.

"You and Tyler are way too different," Reid said and mentally cursed the fact he was wearing boxers. They didn't have pockets and the only way he could hide his tension was stuffing his hands in his pockets. If Avery saw him cracking his knuckles, she would know she was getting to him. "You are just like me," he added in a quiet tone but Avery had heard him. In fact, the look on her face proved that she had heard him alright.

"Oh, my God. That's what it's all about, isn't it?" Avery asked just to confirm her suspicions. "You still have feelings for me," she whispered.

"It's not like that," Reid tried to deny even though it was the true. He still had feelings for her.

"That's why you don't want me to be with Tyler," she concluded, ignoring him. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I- I didn't know what to say. I thought that after what happened in New York last year, you…"

"What happened in New York was a mistake, Reid. We agreed on that," she tried to reason with him. Reid hung his head and tried to organize his thoughts.

Last year, Reid's parents had gone to New York to attend some charity gala and they had dragged Reid with them. Needless to say, after staying inside his room at the Ritz Carlton for a few hours, he got bored and called Avery so she could keep him company. After watching girly movies and drinking a bottle of Cristal, Avery felt her vision swirl slightly and her gut clench. Being close to Reid brought up many memories she wanted to forget. Well, there were some memories worth remembering, like the time when she and Reid were alone in her summer house in Nantucket and shared her first kiss. That memory made her happy and Avery liked that feeling. Maybe that was why she kissed Reid.

After kissing and cuddling the whole night, Reid felt guilty for almost having sex with his friend's ex and they agreed that the events of the night were to be forgotten. Reid and Avery never spoke of it again, but the subject had resurfaced.

"The only problem was that you were Pogue's ex and he wasn't over you. I never regretted what we did, Ave," Reid said and took a few steps forward and because Avery didn't want to look intimidated by him, she resisted the urge to step backwards and stood her ground.

"I don't regret what we did either," she paused and tried to organize her thoughts. "It's just that...it's not the time for you to have those feelings, Reid,"

"I don't exactly control them," Reid tried to defend himself and raised his hands as if to show he wasn't to be blamed in the situation. Avery sent him a sympathetic look before her expression hardened again.

"But you wanted to control the situation, didn't you? Talking to Tyler, making him feel guilty to the point where he though the best thing was to end whatever we have," Avery declared firmly and Reid couldn't deny her accusations.

"But you got to admit that Tyler should go out with his friend's ex," Reid replied lamely and Avery rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure Pogue doesn't care about my love life. He has a girlfriend, you see," she said and Reid chuckled.

"Pogue is not over you. I know that by the way he looks at you," Reid said, making Avery laugh.

"Pogue does not look at me," she sincerely hoped he didn't, because she was sure she wasn't ready to go down that road again.

"Oh, but he does. When he thinks nobody is watching,"

"He has a girlfriend okay and don't try to change the subject," she looked at his face and saw that was exactly what he was trying to do.

"I just think you and Tyler shouldn't be together," Reid said honestly.

"Do you think that _we_ should be together?"

Avery expected a yes murmured or a loud no, but what she certainly didn't expect was Reid's lips on hers. She was so surprised that it took a few seconds to completely understand what was happening. Was Reid kissing her or was this just a figment of her imagination? When she realized that Reid was indeed kissing her, she gathered her strength and shoved him. Reid stumbled but Avery didn't feel guilty at all. What she really wanted to do was slap his pretty face.

"What the hell, Avery?" He inquired in an almost snarl. "Why did you do that?" Avery looked at him with an incredulous expression; she just couldn't believe she was hearing that.

"Why the hell did you just kiss me?!" She almost yelled and put a hand on her chest to try to be calm.

"Because I wanted to," that was Reid's nonchalant reply causing something inside Avery to snap and she didn't want to stay calm anymore.

"You really are a bastard and a horrible friend!" Avery shrieked. "Tyler will do anything for you. He was willing to end things with me because you told him to! And now you kiss me?!"

"You're making it bigger than it is. I kissed you, so what?" Reid said even though her words were getting to him.

"I can't believe you just told me that," she spat. "You don't deserve the friend you have,"

Reid opened his mouth to retort but no sound came out. He didn't know what to say, maybe because it was true. Avery stared at him, hoping he would apologize and when he didn't, she turned around and walked towards the door. She left quietly and didn't look back.

Reid sighed in frustration and went to the bedroom put some clothes on. It was a good time to blow off some steam.

00000

The Red Post, a bar/nightclub, was a popular hangout point among the teens in Ipswich and the perfect place for Reid to unwind. He didn't go to Nicky's because Nicky didn't always allow him to consume alcohol, unlike the young barmen at Red Post who was willing serve him vodka when Reid gave him fifty bucks. Probably because it was Wednesday, the place was almost empty except for a few people on the bar.

Reid sat on a barstool and waited for the familiar barmen to get his order. The young guy noticed Reid and quickly ended the conversation he was having with a girl.

"Can't say I'm surprised to see you here," the barman, a brunet guy who was in his mid-twenties, noted and Reid gave him a sour grin.

"Yeah," Reid wanted to forget the times he went to the bar to drown his sorrows.

"So, what's your poison today?"

"Scotch,"

The bartender grabbed a glass and filled it with the amber liquid that would make him temporarily forget Avery and his troubles concerning her. Reid picked up the full glass and gulped down the scotch, appreciating the burning sensation on his throat.

"I just want a soda today, Gabe," a feminine voice said softly and caught Reid's attention. The owner of the voice was a beautiful, petite, strawberry blonde. Perhaps that was God's way of making it up to him; he had fought with Avery earlier and now he was sitting next to a hot girl.

"Are you okay, babe?" Gabe asked in a chuckle. The girl looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You never order anything weaker than something mixed with vodka. Oh, you want soda with vodka?" She shook her head amused, unaware of Reid's glances.

"Just soda. I _do _have to go to school tomorrow," he nodded and went to get her soda. Reid saw his chance.

"You must be one of a kind," he declared, his voice already dripping with charm. The grin on her face indicated she was falling for it.

"Oh, really? What makes you think that?" Gabe set the soda in front of her and with a smile, he walked away to serve another costumer.

"You come to a bar and order soda," he pointed to the glass with his head and she laughed.

"I didn't come here to drink, I came here to think," she sipped on her drink while twirling a lock of her red golden hair. The gesture showed Reid she was also flirting.

"Why does someone come to a bar to think? Don't people go to a lake or something like it?"

"Well, I like to come here because…wait, I don't think I should be telling this to a strange," Reid grinned.

"Then let's not be strangers anymore," he extended his left hand. "I'm Reid Garwin,"

"I'm Naomi Reynard," she shook his hand and smiled. He was a charming boy. That explained why Avery was always blabbering about him. She always wondered if he was as nice as Avery described it of if he was a jerk like her friends told her he was.

"Nice to meet you Naomi," she wanted to giggle but was afraid she would look like a stupid schoolgirl.

"Likewise,"

"I think this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship,"

"Or more," Naomi added coyly and Reid grinned.

He should fight with Avery more often.

-tbc-

A/N:Please go to my profile to vote on a poll I created to help me decide Avery's future. I'll try to update The Rule as soon as possible. Please review! Thanks so much!


	8. What comes before ballet?

As soon as Naomi entered the empty locker room, she angrily pulled the bobby pins that were holding her hair in a bun, causing her auburn locks to fall down on her shoulders in a messy way.

"I knew it, I fucking knew it!" She screeched while tossing her black skirt inside the bag. Julie, a small blonde girl and Naomi's friend, looked at her concernedly but didn't say anything. She understood why Naomi was reacting like this. "Somova had to give Avery the damn lead role instead that was supposed to be _mine_! Everyone knew that I was the one supposed to replace Anna!"

"Naomi, please calm down!" Julie asked when she saw that Naomi was so furious that she wasn't even breathing properly.

This was all happening because Ekaterina Somova, their Russian ballet teacher, gave the lead role of "The Nutcracker" to Avery Darling instead of Naomi. Anna Steward, the ballerina who was supposed to dance the so wanted role of Clara and Sugarplum Fairy, was moving to another state and Mrs. Somova had hinted that Naomi would be the one to replace Anna. Apparently she had changed her mind and gave the part to Avery, even though the latter had only been back for a few weeks.

"I bet her daddy in financiering the production, I mean they decided to do the whole damn thing in Boston! That's the only reason why she would cast Darling as the lead. The girl's been here for what? A few weeks?" Naomi continued to rant and Julie was silent, not wanting to tell her friend that Avery Darling was one, if not, the best ballet dancer at Prescott and didn't really need her billionaire daddy to buy her a part in a ballet production.

"You shouldn't worry so much. Nutcracker is more of tradition than anything. What will really matter is the production in May and you know it. It will probably be Swan Lake and everybody knows that this ballet can make or break you. You should concentrate on getting ready for that," Julie advised in a soft voice while brushing her hair to make it look a little less messy. Naomi didn't reply and just continued changing clothes, clearly processing what Julie had told her.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, Nutcracker is fun, but doing the Swan Lake must be so much better," Naomi said in a cheerier voice after a few minutes. Julie nodded and slung her pink ballet bag over her left shoulder, ready to leave.

The noise of a door opening filled the room and Linda, a brunette petite girl, came in running towards her locker and started going through her bag.

"What's going on, Linda? I thought you had pas de deux class right now," Julie asked in an amused voice. Linda was franticly searching for something inside her bag.

"I do, but I think my pointe has broken so now I need to get my other one. If I can find it, that is. Oh, here it is!" Linda cried relieved, holding up the shiny satin shoe in triumph. She threw all the things that had been dropped on the floor while she was trying to find the pointes back in the bag.

"Have a good class!" Naomi called out to Linda, who suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Have you guys heard? Two reps form Julliard and some big shot in the American Ballet Theatre will come to see our Nutcracker production. Isn't that awesome?" Linda said quickly and left in a hurry. Julie was excited but she knew that all her work of convincing Naomi not to worry was now ruined. The look on her face confirmed that.

"Naomi, don't let this get to you,"

"You don't understand, Jules. Senior year is supposed to be my year. I made plans, you know? Get in Julliard or in a company," Naomi whispered and wiped the angry tears that were falling down off her chocolate brown eyes. "But since _she_ arrived, I have this falling that nothing I've planned will work."

"It will work, hun. You're a soloist; I don't understand why you're so worried. The Julliard reps will see you and love you just fine," Julie said in a comforting voice, but that was not enough for Naomi.

"If that bitch thinks she can get my part, she's wrong." Naomi declared in a low voice with a determined glint on her eyes.

Oh, boy.

00000

The _ding_ of the microwave informed that the popcorn was ready. Avery pushed herself from the couch where she was tangled with Tyler and blankets to grab the popcorn and the soda. It was Friday and they decided to do a movie night in her room while the others went to Nicky's just because Avery was exhausted from the four hour ballet rehearsal. Actually, they didn't decide it; Tyler just knew her too well and showed up at her door holding a few DVDs.

"The movie is about to start!" Tyler called out to Avery, who was putting the popcorn in a bowl.

"So pause it. Everyone knows we can't watch a movie without popcorn!" Avery said while placing the bowl and two glasses filled with soda on the table. She jumped back in the sofa and snuggled with Tyler again. "So, what you've got for us?"

"Mission: Impossible III," Tyler answered proudly making Avery roll her eyes at his not surprising choice of movies.

"Ty!! Tom Cruise is hot but is getting kind of old to do these movies. Anyways, you could have chosen a romantic movie," Tyler grimaced and shook his head.

"If you want to see movies like A Walk to Remember, you're with the wrong person. Besides, all Reid has in the room is action and porn and I didn't think you would appreciate Reid's vast collection of porn," Tyler said and chuckled at Avery's disgusted expression.

"Tyler, if you want to continue on being my friend, please, do not put Reid and porn in the same sentence again. I already have to hear details from girls at the lavatory. It's scarred me for life." Avery gave a small shudder, remembering of the girls telling each other stories about their night with the so amazing Reid Garwin. It had been too explicit and completely disgusting. She really didn't need to learn about Reid's body parts from these girls.

"I'm just saying," he raised his hands as if to say he was innocent. Then a non innocent grin took over his face. "But you don't want to be just friends, right?" Tyler asked before he could stop himself. That question had been swimming inside his mind for some time and he was just waiting for the right occasion to ask. But apparently his mouth wasn't obeying his mind.

"Ty, what do you mean by that?" Avery raised an eyebrow questioningly. She knew what Tyler meant, but she just wanted a confirmation and the blush on Tyler's cheeks was enough.

"Well, yeah. I like you and I don't want you to be with any other guy so I just thought what the hell, why not be…" Avery interrupted his nervous rambling by pressing her lips on his. Tyler corresponded to the kiss quickly and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

"Let's be together," Avery whispered out of breath after they broke apart. Tyler nodded excitedly and pulled her even closer to his chest.

"So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?" He never had a girlfriend, except for Harriet Stance in freshman year, but she was more of a stalker than anything so she didn't really count.

"Yeah, I guess so," she answered while pushing some strands of brown hair behind her ear. Tyler smiled to her and she returned the smile. "So, what will you do now that you're my boyfriend, what will you do?"

"Do you really need to ask?" He sent her a smirk that was exactly like Reid's and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. Avery smiled and Tyler leaned in so the distance between their faces was practically nonexistent.

"I don't know. Do I?" Avery whispered and Tyler shook his head before kissing her again.

As Avery ran her hands through Tyler's brown hair, the blankets that were wrapped around them fell to the floor and the movie was forgotten.

0000

After playing foosball with some guys for almost thirty minutes, Pogue got a little tired and decided to go back to his table, where Caleb, Sarah and Kate were chatting. He sat on the vacant chair next to Kate and picked up the beer that Caleb had managed to get from Nicky.

"Did you get tired, babe?" Kate asked in a sweet, almost childish voice before kissing him on the cheek. Pogue nodded half heartedly and took a gulp of his beer. Kate had been doing this a lot lately; treating him like a child and wanting to know of his whereabouts. It was starting to get tiring, but Pogue decided he would wait to see if Kate would get better, even though he knew she wouldn't.

Reid, who had been playing pool and flirting with some girls near the bar, returned to the table and sat down. The look on his face said one thing: he had gotten beaten at pool.

"Wow, Reid. How much did you lose?" Caleb asked with a chuckle after seeing Reid angrily pull his black glove. The blonde didn't answer, preferring to send Caleb a glare. The older boys seemed unfazed by that and laughed it off. "So, how much?"

"A hundred," Reid answered quietly. They all knew that a hundred dollars was nothing to him but Reid hated losing, especially to Aaron and his friends.

"Where is Tyler, by the way?" Sarah questioned, anxious to change the subject. Because of Avery's absence, the night hadn't been going too good for Sarah and she didn't want to make it worse.

"At the dorm," Reid grabbed a beer and drank the little that was left inside the can.

"Baby Boy will spent night studying again, huh?" Pogue chuckled. Tyler has always been a bookworm and he would never change.

"Try again," Reid murmured and Pogue's and Kate's eyebrows rose in curiosity, while Caleb and Sarah seemed a bit hesitant. Reid almost laughed; judging by their reactions, Pogue was being kept in the dark as his ex girlfriend fooled around with one of his best friends. It was time for Reid to be a good friend and not let Pogue be lied to anymore. He cleared his throat before speaking. "He's with Avery. Apparently, they are going out. So, Baby Boy must be getting some right now."

Pogue could feel his face falling but tried his best not to show, especially because, from the corner of his eyes, he could see that Kate was staring at him, trying to figure out how he was feeling. He extended his arm to grab the beer and gulped down. To be honest, he didn't really want to drink, but if he needed to distract himself so a glass wouldn't be broken.

"Oh, that's so great!" Kate cheered and Sarah rolled her eyes. She knew that the only reason why Kate was so happy was because Avery wouldn't be a threat to her relationship with Pogue anymore. "Isn't that great, honey?" Kate turned to Pogue.

"Yeah, it's great," he answered in the most excited voice he could muster, which wasn't too excited.

_It's awesome; it's fine, because I'm definitely over her._ Pogue kept chanting inside his head as everyone else continued chatting.

00000

Saturday Morning

Avery didn't know why suddenly the soft and slow tune that the pianist was playing seemed to get faster by the minute to the point where she couldn't keep up anymore. Or why her perfect, high arabesque wouldn't go past 90 degrees. Every time Avery turned or was lifted by one of her dance partners, she seriously thought she was going to faint and couldn't keep her perfect posture, something that everyone was noticing.

"Avery, what is wrong with you today?! I tell you I want a triple pirouette and you can't even deliver me a clean simple!" Mikhail Baranov, the teacher who was replacing Mrs. Somova, barked. Avery felt a blush reach her cheeks for being called out in front of everyone. Mikhail stayed silent, probably waiting for an explanation and when Avery wasn't able to give him one, he got even angrier than before. "I want you out! It's obvious that you're not doing your best and because of that, you're disrespecting all of us! Come back when you're ready to be a ballerina!" He yelled, pointing to the door.

At that point, Avery was feeling too bad to even try to argue with him. She just grabbed her water bottle before slowly walking towards the door.

00000

Naomi just couldn't stop grinning; the outcome of her plan had gone better than she had anticipated. Not only Mikhail had thrown Avery out of rehearsal but he also asked her to dance the lead role so the boys could practice.

"I can't believe Avery was that bad!" Julie cried shocked. "And Mikhail was just furious!"

"Well, I'm not that surprised; Avery was never _that_ good. She's overrated," Julie disagreed but didn't voice her opinion. "I made everyone open their eyes today." Naomi said in a smug voice and Julie gasped when she understood what Naomi had meant.

"What did you do?" Julie asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nothing. Look, I had the perfect opportunity and I just couldn't pass it,"

"What do you mean?"

"She had a headache and instead of Advil, I gave her one of my mother's pills," Naomi whispered so nobody but Julie could hear her.

"What?!" Julie was a bit horrified and wasn't able to hide that. She knew Naomi was very dedicated to ballet, but she never thought her friend would stoop so low just to get the lead role. "Why?"

"Oh, come on, Jules! I just needed one opportunity and I got it," Naomi tried to explain, but Julie shook her head, stating that she didn't want to listen to her anymore.

"What does this thing do?" Avery didn't seem fine when Mikhail threw her out and Julie was honestly worried about her now. Naomi noticed that and raised an eyebrow.

"Relax, it'll make her drowsy and then she'll sleep for a few hours. It's all right," Naomi said while waving a hand dismissively.

"It's not fine, Naomi. You shouldn't have done that. Mikhail totally humiliated her," Julie murmured the last part and stood up from the bench. Naomi just shrugged, obviously not bothered by the words Julie had said. "You went too far this time," Julie could accept the childish pranks that Nomi usually pulled at school, just because they were harmless and nobody got upset. But drugging someone was much more than she could take.

"What was I supposed to do? Let her take my place?!" Naomi asked, not understanding why her friend wasn't supporting her. Julie just shook her head, disappointed.

"Do you honestly think that Somova will give you the lead role now?" Julie questioned in a small voice that was always able to make Naomi tell the truth. Naomi didn't say anything and put on her coat, getting ready to leave. "You just did this to humiliate her, didn't you?"

"No?" She answered in a hesitant voice and Julie narrowed her eyes. "Fine, yes, I did it to humiliate her. Are you happy now?"

"No, not really." That was the last thing Julie said before leaving.

00000

"Damn," Pogue whispered when he checked his watch and realized that he was already five minutes late for his date with Kate. Normally, he would sleep in until noon or later on Saturday, but the image of Avery and Tyler kissing wouldn't leave his mind, not letting him sleep. So, when the morning came, Pogue was more than happy to leave his bed and do something to occupy his thoughts. Having breakfast with Kate in the famous restaurant she loved seemed to be a good idea, especially because she wasn't so paranoid after she heard about Avery and Tyler.

The hallways were empty except for a few girls that started giggling when they saw him. Apparently, most of the students chose to go home on weekends. Everything was so silent that he was able to hear the sound of his sneakers against the marble floor and the sound of someone breathing heavily. Pogue frowned but didn't stop walking and the sound got louder.

"Oh my god," a tiny voice gasped and it took five seconds for Pogue to recognize its owner. His eyes widened and he practically ran, following the noise. Avery was standing, holding the wall, trying hard not to fall. Pogue ran to her and when he was close enough she extended her arms, and would have fallen if he didn't catch her.

"Ave, what's wrong?" Pogue asked in a worried voice. Avery's face was pale and his arms were the only thing that was making her stand. She didn't answer because suddenly the world became black and she passed out. Pogue almost let her fall to the ground because of the shock, but quickly scooped her in his arms. Avery was light like a feather and Pogue had no problem carrying her around, which was a good thing because her room was in another floor. The thought of taking her to the infirmary crossed his mind, but then Pogue remembered that the nurse and the doctor wouldn't be there until later, so he just continued walking towards her room.

Pogue heard his cell phone ringing inside his pocket but he ignored it. He knew that it would be wiser to just call Kate and cancel but he knew she would be mad and demand to know why he didn't want to go out anymore. Besides, Avery was passed out in his arms and that was way more important.

**A/N: I got the inspiration and was able to write this chapter. I hope you all like it! Thanks for the reviews, they made my day! Next: Will Pogue and Avery reunite?**

**PS: I'll try to update The Rule as soon as possible. See you on the next update!**


	9. Her Past and Her Future

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Chapter Nine: Her Past and Her Future**

Pogue felt his leg cramping and his body aching from sitting for a long time on a small light blue armchair that certainly wasn't made to fit guys like him. At least not comfortably. But he had to make sure that Avery would be fine. After all, she had been sleeping for almost one hour before Pogue decided to 'use' and be sure anything toxic inside her body was gone now. If that was what made her sick, she should wake up in some time.

The mattress shifted when Pogue carefully place Avery's body on the bed. He expected her to regain consciousness while he carrying her to her to room, but that didn't happen and now Pogue was starting to get worried. He looked at Avery and noticed that her face was pale and her lips were dry. Damn, what was he supposed to do? Call 911, go to a hospital? Perhaps it was just the flu or something like that. As far as he remembered, Avery was never that strong of a girl when health was concerned. Pogue could still remember the nights he spent up taking care of her.

"Ave, can you hear me?" Pogue asked softly while leaning down. Avery continued still, showing no signs that she was hearing him. He sat down next to her and inclined his head so it was near her face to see if she was breathing properly. She was and Pogue felt a little more relieved. Maybe he should just let her sleep for an hour before trying to wake her up again.

A small sound filled the room and Pogue realized it was his phone. He took it out of his pocket and saw that it was Kate. Because he didn't have the patience to deal with her, he just pressed the IGNORE button and carelessly threw the phone on the armchair. Pogue walked to the bed and sat down hesitantly; he kind of felt that he was disrespecting her by being so close when she wasn't even conscious.

Avery had been back for weeks and they were yet to have _the_ talk. They still hadn't discussed things like why Avery had slept with Aaron, but Pogue was definitely not looking forward to asking her that question. He'd rather just ignore that fact and move on. Why she had stayed in Manhattan instead of coming back to Ipswich and he would have to explain to her why he had cheated. Not that he knew the answer to the last question anyway.

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Sarah started to feel sorry for Kate's phone as the other girl jabbed angrily at the buttons and almost destroyed it when throwing it on the floor. The blonde sighed and Kate continued to pace while muttering something to herself.

"You need to calm down, Kate," Sarah advised, tired of Kate's behavior. She could understand that her friend was feeling upset that Pogue had stood her up but Kate has always had a flare for the dramatics and it was showing right now.

"I don't want to calm down, _Sarah_," Kate snapped meanly and in her fury, she didn't even notice the way that Sarah seemed to recoil, a little hurt. "Pogue is more than one hour late!"

"I'm sure something important happened and that's why he isn't here yet," Sarah tried to calm her down again. She was a bit hurt by the way that Kate had talked, but she understood that the other girl was upset.

"Something important? I'm important! Besides, why wouldn't he just text me?!" Kate demanded angrily as if Pogue was in the room with them. The pacing continued and the clack of Kat's high heels against the wooden floor was starting to irritate Sarah. "I thought that things would be different now,"

That sparkled Sarah's curiosity.

"Why?" Sarah asked, hoping Kate wouldn't think she was prying. A few weeks before, Kate used to tell Sarah everything concerning her relationship with Pogue, even the intimate aspects that Sarah didn't really need know. Well, she used to, but stopped telling Sarah things when Avery arrived, probably because that was when her relationship with Pogue started to change and not for the better. Sarah knew that Kate hated showing people that she didn't have control over Pogue.

"Because Avery is dating Tyler now. It all should be fine now, you know? Pogue is supposed to forget about her and he didn't!" Kate whined and Sarah could see some tear forming on her eyes.

"Avery is way over Pogue, Kate. You should know that," Sarah said slowly, trying to convince Kate. However, Kate didn't seem too convinced.

"Nobody gets over Pogue, it's just the way it is," Kate snorted and shrugged her shoulders, making Sarah laugh a little.

"Yeah Kate, I'm sure you're right on that," Sarah grabbed a towel that was on her bed, along with some clothes. Dealing with Kate could be frustrating and she didn't want to get mad. "I'm taking a shower, see you later," she muttered before opening the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Kate waved a hand dismissively, her attention turned to the Sidekick.

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The first thing Avery saw-and felt- when she opened her eyes was the blinding light coming from the window. It seemed unusually bright, but Avery didn't know if that was because she had been passed out cold for the last hours. She had been so focused in trying to protect her eyes from the light that she didn't notice a tall, brown haired man until he was standing next to her.

"Oh my God," she gasped in obvious surprise, a hand going up to her chest. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

Pogue shook his head and chuckled lowly. Even after fainting and the whole thing, Avery was still bossy. He took a seat on the armchair, not fazed by the way she had spoken to him.

"Actually, I'm quite sure I saved you," Pogue replied, his lips curving in a small smirk. Avery remembered that he used to smirk like that when he was fifteen and felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. "You were in a pretty bad shape when I found you,"

In reality, Avery didn't quite remember what had happened a few hours ago, she just had flashes of Mikhail Baranov throwing her out of the Nutcracker rehearsal, walking down Spenser's hallway trying not to faint and something really weird: Naomi's pleased smile when Baranov told her to leave the room. That seemed to be a little intriguing but Avery didn't want to think about it at the moment. Her headache was starting to come back.

Even after being almost two years away from Avery, Pogue could tell she was trying to remember something by the way that her forehead frowned a little bit and could tell she was in pain when the frown got deeper.

"Do you want an Advil? I'm sure you have them laying somewhere around," he offered. Avery couldn't hide the surprised look that she held in her face. How did he know she was in pain? She didn't even groan or anything. Once again, Pogue was able to read her. "You forget that we dated for almost, what, two years?" He asked her with a smile.

For some reason, Avery wasn't able to smile like Pogue did and suddenly she felt really awkward about the position she was in. Lying on her bed wearing just a small tank top and pants while her ex-boyfriend was standing next to her wasn't something that Avery had written on her to do list.

"Advil is on the bathroom cabinet. Would you mind getting it for me?" Avery asked politely, while pulling the white blanket in an effort to cover herself a little more. Pogue nodded and hopped from the chair, walking towards the bathroom.

After a minute, Pogue was back at her side, holding a pill in one hand and a small Perrier in the other. Avery accepted the two items with a grateful smile and quickly gobbled the pill down, before leaning back on her pillows again. Satisfied that Avery seemed to be okay, Pogue went to sit down.

"So, would you mind telling me why I found you like that?" He asked in the most casual way he could manage. Avery raised an eyebrow, clearly getting the concern he was trying to hide in his voice. Pogue had always been able to conceal his true feelings, but Avery had always been able to read him. And apparently she still did.

"I just felt bad, I guess," she explained in a small voice and shrugged her shoulders. Pogue didn't buy her lame excuse and decided to press the matter a little more.

"You felt bad? Avery, you fainted, you were burning up! I thought about taking you to the hospital!" Pogue exclaimed, frustrated that she didn't understand what could have happened to her. Avery had a curious glint on her eyes. "I 'used'. Whatever you had, it's gone now," he muttered. Avery ran a hand through her brown hair and pulled it up in a messy bun.

"Fine, I don't remember what made me feel like that, I just…" Suddenly a scene of herself accepting a pill from Naomi as she had a devious glint on her eyes entered her mind. Everything made sense after remembering that. Of course Naomi would try and do something to Avery just because Somova gave her the lead role. "That little bitch," Avery whispered, gripping the edge of the blanket in anger.

"What's wrong?" Pogue noticed the way she got tense and how her knuckles were white from gripping the blanket.

"I think I know what made me feel so sick," Pogue raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue. "There's this girl in my ballet class. I got the role she wanted and she tried to get revenge, I guess."

For a minute, Pogue stood still, a baffled look on his face.

"Are you telling me that a small, delicate ballerina girl tried to drug you?" Pogue cried, not believing in what Avery had just told him.

"I'm telling you that a small but not so delicate girl did drug me. The teacher threw me out from rehearsal and probably gave her the part." Avery said slowly, not wanting to show him she was upset by this whole predicament. Pogue stared at her and was remembered when they were fifteen and how sad she got if he didn't want to do something with her. He shook his head, trying not think about that anymore.

"I'm sure you'll be able to get your role back. After all, your grand jetes rock," Pogue tried to make her feel better and was glad when he heard her giggling. "What?"

"I never thought that you would learn something from the Grand Book of Ballet when I made you read with me. It didn't even look like you were reading the book," she smiled and hugged a pillow. Pogue laughed while raising his hands.

"Hey, I read the damn thing! The first thirty pages, that is." Avery threw the pillow she was hugging at him, but Pogue was too quick and the pillow didn't hit him.

"There were two hundred pages!" She cried and Pogue just shrugged his shoulders.

"I just wanted you to stop crying. I had to stop reading when there were no more pictures!" He tried to defend himself but stopped when he realized that Avery was actually smiling.

"Please don't remind me of that day," she felt her cheeks burn and hid her face with her hands.

"You said I didn't respect your art, whatever that means." Pogue reminded her in an amused tone.

"I was sad! Daddy had just grounded me and…" she started to say but was cut.

"Canceled your credit card. What a crime!" Pogue completed for her in a sarcastic tone.

"Very funny, Pogue," Avery said before their eyes locked. "So, would you like to eat something?" She asked, ignoring the moment. Pogue frowned for a second.

"Yeah, I'm starving. I didn't even eat breakfast."

"I'll call some place and order, okay?" She said and got up from the bed, walking towards the living room.

As soon as Avery left the room, Pogue sighed loudly. He wasn't even dating her anymore and she still would be the death of him.

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When Tyler entered his room, carrying a plate with bacon and eggs in one hand and holding two cups of steaming coffee in the other, Reid was sitting on the couch, playing with his cell phone. The younger boy placed the items on the table and took off his sweater- the heater on their room was working a little _too _perfect.

"Food has arrived!" Tyler called out in an amused voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Reid replied absently while still typing away on his phone. Tyler frowned; usually Reid would be swallowing the food not a minute after it had arrived. Now he didn't even care that there was a plate full of bacon and that was one of Reid's favorite food. Tyler walked over to Reid and stood in front of him. Because he was so concentrated on the phone, it took a few seconds for him to notice that Tyler was almost shadowing him. When he did, Reid turned, trying to hide the phone from Tyler's view.

"Don't worry; I don't want to know what you're doing. It would probably traumatize me. Even though, I gotta admit, whatever you're doing should be important, considering that you just turned food down." Tyler said with a smile and walked back to the table. "You just turned bacon down," he added, not really believing in what just happened. Reid rolled his eyes at how dramatic Tyler was being and got up, pocketing the small phone.

"Oh, please, you talk like I was having phone sex. I was just talking to a friend," Reid simply said before gulping down some of the coffee. Tyler raised an eyebrow just like Avery used to do and for some reason, Reid didn't like that.

"I know you. A friend wouldn't hold your attention for so long, unless it's a female friend. Preferably a hot one," Reid didn't reply back and Tyler was able to connect the dots. "It is a hot girl, isn't it?" Tyler asked excitedly; it felt like it's been ages since the two of them talked like that. He was so wrapped up in his romance with Avery that started to neglect his best friend.

"Maybe," Reid knew that it was stupid but he didn't want to tell his friends about Naomi yet. Especially because he didn't know anything about her, other than the fact that she was a senior at Riverside Prep, another private school that was twenty minutes away from Ipswich downtown. Besides that, Naomi was a complete mystery to Reid and he liked that. After the whole fiasco with Avery, he wanted something different than Spenser girls and Naomi seemed to be the perfect option.

"That's awesome! Maybe we could go out on a double date. Now that Avery and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriends, we want to do one of these couple things," Tyler started to ramble, not noticing the surprised look on his friend's face.

"You're dating Ave?" Reid asked between coughs. Tyler's announcement caused him to choke on his food.

"Yep, but we're not talking about me right now. So, tell me more about this girl," Tyler prodded, not even considering that Reid didn't want to share. The blond looked at Tyler and sighed. Other than Avery, he couldn't keep secrets from Ty.

"Her name is Naomi and I met her at a bar," that pretty much said everything, considering that Reid couldn't tell him that the reason why he was at a bar was because Avery had told him she didn't have any feelings other than friendship for him. "She doesn't go to Spenser and I don't know much about her,"

"You're going out with the girl and don't even know where she studies?"

"First of all I'm not going out with her, we just went out twice, and second, we don't talk too much; there are more important things to do with our time," he smirked and Tyler just shook his head.

Reid would never change.

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If someone told Avery she would be laughing with her ex boyfriend who had cheated on her, she would have said that the person was crazy. But there she was, having brunch in her room with Pogue, as they talked about childhood memories.

"Remember when we sneaked into that dinner? Your mom was so mad at us," Pogue said as he drank the Bellini, a small smile was covering his lips as he remembered everything they had done when younger.

"I just wanted to see the pretty dresses," Avery replied in an innocent voice, exactly like the one she had used four years ago. "I didn't understand why mom was so mad,"

"Maybe because you also wanted to know how the pretty and bubbly champagne tasted like?" Pogue offered as the scene of fourteen year old Avery holding a flute of champagne while staring at it with an amazed expression on her face played inside his head.

"Maybe, but I don't understand why she was so mad. Jeremy was always drinking," she shrugged and carefully cut her Belgian waffle in small pieces and took a drink of her Mimosa. Pogue shook his head.

"I still can't believe you got all of these for breakfast!" he exclaimed gesturing to the table that was beautifully covered with food that went from fresh fruits to waffles and quiches. It was a little too much for two people but Avery was feeling hungry- the only thing she had eaten was a banana before rehearsal- and she knew that Pogue could eat for three.

"Hey, it's not breakfast, it's brunch! And I called Pastis, the restaurant that always catered for my mom's tea parties, so they had no problem in delivering. You talk like you're not enjoying," she pointed to his plate that was full of food and his Bellini. It was weird to see Pogue drinking champagne but she had kind of insisted.

"You really don't do things by half, do you?" Pogue asked, already knowing the answer. He had grown up with the girl, after all.

"Have you met my mother?" Avery replied in a giggle and Pogue thought she looked more beautiful than ever. And she had been sick a few hours ago. If someone could bounce back from something, it was Avery.

"I guess you're right," he shrugged and drained his glass. The phone in his pocket vibrated again, but Pogue ignored it. He finally looked at his watch and was surprised when he saw that it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. "Damn, it's late. I gotta go,"

Avery could feel her face falling with disappointment, but she quickly hid it.

"If you say so," she stood up and went to the other room to get his coat. When she got back, he was ready to leave. "Are you sure you don't want to take a muffin?" Avery asked and waved the blueberry muffin before his eyes. Pogue chuckled and took it from her hand.

"Thanks for the brea-, sorry. Thanks for the _brunch_," Pogue said as he got the coat from Avery's hands. Before he could turn around to leave, Avery placed her hand on his shoulders.

"Thanks for taking care of me. But could you do me a small favor?" Avery asked in a small voice and Pogue raised an eyebrow.

"Okay?" He said hesitantly.

"Please don't tell anyone what happened okay? They'll all be worried and Tyler will start treating me like a porcelain doll."

"You got your wish,"

Avery smiled and the two shared a look, exactly like the one they used to share so many times a few years ago.

-tbc-

**A/N: Please don't kill me! I'm sorry I took so long to update, I was really having a writer's block but I guess I'm fine now. So, what do you think? Should Avery be with Pogue again? Should Reid be with Naomi? Thanks so much for all your reviews, they helped me throught my lack of inspiration. I'll try to update The Rule soon! Please leave a review so I can know your opinion!**


	10. Silent Revenge, Loud Feelings

**Disclaimer: Not mine....**

**Chapter Ten: Silent Revenge, Loud Feelings**

"No, no, it's relevé passé and the pirouette! Pay attention!" Mrs. Somova yelled at the top of her lungs, her Russian accent showing that she was already frustrated. Avery took a deep breath and wondered if that was the right time to talk to her. She was sure that Mikhail had already come running to Somova and told her about her horrible rehearsal on Saturday. Avery opened the door slowly and saw that Somova was rehearsing the intermediate students for the Waltz of the Snowflakes. The older woman acknowledged her with a stiff nod and turned her attention back to the choreography. "Look at the line Emily, you're not in it!" Somova said and the small girl hurried over to get to the right position.

Avery walked over to an empty corner and sat on the floor, waiting for the dance to end. Three minutes later, Mrs. Somova raised her hand, motioning for the pianist to stop playing and the girls to stop dancing.

"You have a five minutes break," she informed them curtly and the girls quickly grabbed their water bottles that were on the floor and rushed out of the room, followed by the young pianist. Somova then turned to Avery, who stood up in a matter of seconds. "I've heard about what happened on Saturday." She said solemnly and Avery could feel her heart beating a little faster. "And I have to say, that didn't look like you at all."

"It wasn't. I felt sick and took a pill that made me sleepy that's all. It was stupid of me to tale that medicine." Avery explained in one breath, leaving some details out. She didn't have any prove that it was Naomi who had purposely gave her the damn pill, so she was just going to prove the other girl that she was way better than her when it came to ballet. "Is the part still mine?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

"Well, Gabrielle's fouettes are not very good and Helen cannot play Clara for her life…" Somova commented while deep in thought. Avery didn't know if she should be happy or worried.

"What about Naomi?" Avery said, not being able to contain herself. Naomi was a pretty good dancer and she would be able to play Clara just fine.

"Mikhail told me she replaced you on Saturday, but I don't think she can't get the feeling right." As soon as Somova said the words, Avery's face broke out on a relieved smile. Somova just raised her eyebrows questioningly and looked down at Avery's feet. "I think a ballerina should wear pointe shoes and not sneakers. You have five minutes." Somova said pointing to the Capezio sneakers Avery was wearing.

"I just need one minute!" Avery cried before running towards the lockers.

There was no way she would lose her role to Naomi.

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"Are you ever going to tell me why you blew me off _and_ didn't answer my calls on Saturday and Sunday?" Kate demanded in a hard voice. Pogue still hadn't come to her with roses to apologize for not showing up for their date and that was making her absolutely furious.

"Look, my parents went to Connecticut to visit my grandparents and I went with them. My battery was dead, there was a party and I couldn't call you, okay?" Pogue explained frustrated. He knew he shouldn't have lied to her, but he wouldn't live to see the next day if Kate found out that he had been taking care of Avery. "I'm sorry."

Kate stayed silent for a minute, probably processing his answer, before deciding that his explanation was good enough. She put her hands on his chest in a loving manner and Pogue breathed relieved. He wouldn't be murdered by his hot, but a little neurotic girlfriend.

"It's fine, but you owe me a dinner now." Kate decided with a smile and was able to hide that she was still a little mad. Usually, when Pogue screwed something up, he was the first to call and to send her flowers, practically begging her to forgive him. However, he was acting different this time. There was no begging, no phone calls, just a quick apology.

"Okay," he agreed without protesting and grabbed his black backpack from the floor. It was still in the same place he had thrown when they entered Kate's room. "I should go, I have a test tomorrow and I didn't study." Pogue announced while slinging the bad over his shoulder. Kate frowned perceptively; Pogue never studied for a test. As a matter of fact, he never knew there was a test until the teacher announced. There was something different with her boyfriend and Kate had to find out what.

"You're so different," she commented, not wanting to say the actual words. Pogue raised an eyebrow in question; he didn't feel different in any way, so why was she saying that? Kate saw his reaction and quickly tried to explain the reason why she had said it. "I mean…you're going to study and you never..study for a test." She said a little nervous and almost cringed when she realized that her voice was a little desperate.

"Why do you think that?" Pogue asked both curious and a little defensive. Kate hesitated before answering.

"I don't know. You look so serious and not the easy going boy I date," she said while touching his jaw and sighed tiredly. "You're finally growing up, I guess." Kate concluded before pecking his cheek.

"About time, huh?" Pogue put on a fake smile on his face and turned around to leave. "Bye Kate, I'll talk to you later, okay?" Kate frowned but nodded her head anyway.

"Call me," she tried to say in an authoritative manner, but it came out as a pleading- and pathetic- tone. Was she losing her touch? A few weeks ago, one small look from her was able to make Pogue practically fall down on his knees and grant her every wish. Today, not even her pout was enough to melt Pogue down.

As he walked down the dorms' hallway, Pogue wondered if Kate was right when she said he had changed. As a matter of fact, he remembered he used to study and be concerned with his schoolwork when he dated Avery. She was the one who always tried to motivate him by saying he should think about colleges and stuff like this. Pogue remembered that he actually envied Avery for the way she was so mature and hard working and because of that, he always tried to do well in school and the swim team. However, that had changed when they broke up and that was how Kate met him: an easy going boy- how she had defined him- that liked slack off when school was concerned.

He didn't want to be that boy anymore, it was senior year and Pogue didn't want to be the only one who wasn't accepted to any college and his parents had to pay a respectable amount of money so he could get into some school.

Damn Avery Darling and her influence on him!

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_Grand jeté, piqué arabesque, grande jeté, another piqué arabesque, chaînés... _Avery chanted inside her head as she effortlessly glided through the room, her attention focused on the music and only listening some of the things Somova was saying. She knew she was supposed to listen to everything her coach told her, the woman was a Russian legend, after all, but the pleasure of dancing was shadowing everything else. Fortunately, it looked like Somova was actually enjoying the way that Avery was dancing, so the older woman didn't scold her for not following her instructions.

"It was fine," Somova announced when Avery was done. Avery knew that Ekaterina Somova was a very nice and gentle woman but a strict ballet coach and she believed that not giving out many praises would only stimulate the dancer to work harder. And she was right, as always. "Ian is not here, but we can go over the pas de deux choreography and see if you have any doubts about it, okay?" Somova said referring to Avery's pas de deux partner.

Avery nodded and walked to a corner of the room and put on her white practice classical tutu. The younger girls who had been practicing earlier looked at Avery with pure admiration, causing her to laugh. She remembered when she was one of these girls and watching the older ballerinas dance while dreaming it would be her one day.

"The second act, right?" Avery asked after taking a big gulp of water from her bottle and shaking her legs. She had been dancing for almost two hours straight with two five minutes break and she could feel her muscles cramping and her toes were about to kill her.

"Just the grand pas de deux and we'll be done. It's better for you to rest and then rehearse everything with Ian here." Somova concluded and motioned for the pianist to start playing.

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"I don't think I'll be able to, Reid. I'll be really busy this week, but I'll call you as soon as I have a free time, okay. Bye!" Naomi spoke excitedly on the phone while walking through the busy hallways of Prescott Dance Academy, not even caring if she had bumped into someone. She hung up and threw the phone in her bag, before running to one of the rehearsal room, hoping to speak with Mrs. Somova. However, what she saw happening inside the room was enough to ruin her excellent mood. Why was Avery rehearsing the part that was supposed to be hers? Mikhail had made it clear for everyone on Saturday!

"That little…" Naomi growled lowly, so focused on her anger that she didn't notice Julie coming up behind her. The small blonde smiled before realizing that there was a pure look of fury on Naomi's chocolate eyes. She turned her head to see what was causing her friend to get so mad and instantly concluded that Nomi's master plan didn't work out after all. Not that it was a bad thing; Avery was a talented dancer and didn't deserve to be replaced when she was clearly the best ballerina to play the lead role. But she wouldn't tell Naomi that, of course.

"You shouldn't be like that. Look, Mikhail threw her out but Somova is the boss. It doesn't matter if she wants Avery as Clara." Julie said softly, trying not to let the sympathy appear in her voice. Naomi absolutely hated when someone pitied her.

"Yeah, you're right," she conceded, but still watching what was going on inside the room. She even got angrier when the younger girls started clapping after Avery finished her solo with a perfect double pirouette. Avery smiled and curtsied, making the girls clap more enthusiastically.

"I'm going to the cafeteria to eat something. Why don't you come with me?" Julie suggested, holding Naomi's arm and trying to pull her.

"No, I'm fine. I have rehearsal now and I need to warm up," Naomi replied stiffly and Julie decided it would be better to leave her alone for a while.

"Okay, I'll see you later," and with that she walked towards the cafeteria's direction.

A few minutes after Julie left, Avery finally came out of the room, looking exhausted and Naomi noticed that she was cringing as she walked. Naomi couldn't stop the smirk that took over her face and the words that left her mouth.

"Came crawling to Somova so she would give the part?" Naomi asked in a cruel voice, hoping to make Avery be embarrassed of what happened on Saturday. "It must have been some pretty good crawling to make up for your shameful performance this weekend. Oh, wait. There's always daddy's credit card to solve all your problems, right?" Naomi said the vicious words and the gleam on her eyes showed Avery she didn't regret them.

For a moment, Avery just wanted to walk away and leave the other girl behind. But then she remembered what Naomi had done to her; she had actually drugged Avery so she could have the lead role. What kind of psychopath was this girl? That thought didn't let Avery leave without saying anything.

"Yeah, daddy's AmEx makes my life much easier, but this time I didn't have to swipe it. You know why? Because I have enough talent and technique to make one single bad day irrelevant. Even if I know that my bad day _wasn't really_ my fault, right?!" Avery drawled and enjoyed seeing the somewhat desperate look that crossed Naomi's face for a few seconds before she recovered.

"What are you talking about?" Naomi hissed while looking to see if there was anyone close to them that could overhear their conversation.

"You know what I'm talking about just fine. I mean, I had a headache and you were the nice, helping person who gave me _an Advil_, remember?" Avery said in an innocent tone with her lips curved in a smile. It was probably not a nice thing, but she was enjoying seeing Naomi on the hot spot, trying to come up with a reply.

"It was an Advil," Naomi said weakly, trying not to show how nervous she really was. Avery waved a hand dismissively and drank her water. For the first time, she was sweaty and tired, but feeling absolutely confident.

"Of course I know it was. Perhaps I'm allergic to Advil, even though I've been taking them all my life and nothing happened." Avery's blue eyes glittered as they met Naomi's deep brown that showed a mix of anger and worry. Avery couldn't help but giggle; Naomi was making this too amusing for her. "Don't worry; this will be our little secret. Enjoy your one solo because I'm sure I'm enjoying my solos and pas de deux." Avery whispered the last part and dashed to the locker rooms, leaving a furious Naomi behind.

"This isn't over," Naomi muttered as she went through her bag, looking for her phone. When she finally found it, she quickly typed the familiar number and waited to the other person to pick it up.

"Hey, Reid. Forget about that whole busy bullshit, I have a free schedule. What do you want us to do?"

Avery could have won this round, but she was going to win the damn fight and she had the perfect weapon for that.

000000

"I'm pretty sure this is_ not_ the right way to treat your very handsome boyfriend," Tyler scolded in a playful voice as he wrapped his arms around Avery's tiny waist. Still enjoying the high from her fight with Naomi, Avery giggled in a way that made Tyler grin.

"And pray tell, Mr. Simms, what have I done wrong?" She asked innocently while tilting her head to the side, letting Tyler kiss her neck as he liked. They had been officially dating for three days, but that certainly didn't reflect on their physical relationship. They hadn't done the deed yet, but with the pace they were moving, Avery knew it was only a matter of weeks. As she relaxed and enjoyed his ministrations, she remembered something. "Don't leave a mark, please," Avery said making sure Tyler was able to notice she was pouting, even though he couldn't see her face. It would be a pretty embarrassing thing if she showed up at rehearsal sporting a huge hickey. She could try to cover up with makeup, but it would melt if she started to sweat, what was certain.

"Why not? I happen to like them," Tyler commented smoothly before pecking the side of her neck again. Avery laughed and turned around on his arms.

"My, my, aren't we randy today?" Tyler just smirked and closed the distance that was separating their faces. "Aren't you going to tell me what I've done wrong?" Avery murmured while raising one hand to play with the light brown hair that was on the base of his head.

"Didn't call me on Saturday, barely talked to me on Sunday, didn't give me a proper kiss today," he listed, his voice getting huskier and huskier. "This isn't how a good girlfriend should act." Avery raised an eyebrow and gave him a sultry smile.

"Sorry, but I didn't read the good girlfriend's guide. What does it say?" She asked before unwrapping her hands from his neck to push her wet bangs from her eyes. Tyler had arrived five minutes after she had taken a shower, giving her time to just put on a big sweater and small, comfortable shorts. The heater in her room did work pretty fine.

"It states that you should always kiss your boyfriend when you see him and that you should treat him very well, especially when he comes to your dorm room after a long and tiring day," Tyler whispered on Avery's ear, feeling like a whole different person. She made him feel like a different person.

"Oh yeah?" He nodded slowly. "I guess I should follow what the guide says, right?"

"Yes, you should!" He exclaimed before picking her up like a bride. Avery squealed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"What are you doing? You're going to drop me!" She rested her head on the crook of his neck, unconsciously sniffing his manly and delicious perfume. Tyler just laughed at how girly Avery was being ; he knew that she knew there was no way he would drop her.

He playfully threw her on the couch but also making sure she wouldn't get hurt in the process. Avery smiled and adjusted her position so her head was supported by one of the fluffy cushions; she needed to get comfortable. Hopefully, she would spend a long time with Tyler on the leather couch.

"What made you like this today, Mr. Tyler?" Avery asked, a little out of breath. She didn't know why and how, but she could feel the sparkles between them intensifying. Tyler just gave her an innocent look and Avery thought that he couldn't get cuter and hotter than this.

"Just your presence, Miss. Darling, just your presence," he whispered before catching her lips on a kiss that almost made Avery melt in a puddle.

Surprisingly, Avery's brain was still functioning and as she kissed Tyler, her mind was desperately questioning if she had already fallen in love with Tyler.

-tbc-

**A/N: I'm here and it didn't take me two months to update. Inspiration hit me! Thanks for all of your reviews, and especially one person: cmunoz.22** **(Cynthia). Thanks so much for all your reviews! They were what gave me enough enthusiasm to write. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please review! See you next update!!!  
**


	11. That Little Bitch

**Disclaimeir: Not mine!**

**Chapter Eleven: That Little...**

The Paradise Room, the nickname that one of Reid's playthings had given to their dorm room, was in complete silence. Tyler's frustrated sigh as he checked his watch was the only noise in half an hour. Reid had asked him to help him study for the Math test he had tomorrow and Tyler had instantly agreed. After all, the younger boy wanted Reid to do well in school and he wanted them to get closer again. Ever since he started dating Avery, Reid seemed to be more distant than ever.

However, Tyler wanted to kill Reid more than anything; he had actually canceled a night with Avery just so he could help his best friend and the best friend had stood him up. Tyler knew he shouldn't take Reid serious when school was concerned; girls and booze, yes, but not school. Another minute passed and Tyler decided that if Reid didn't arrive in ten minutes, he would go to Avery's room.

Five minutes later, Reid entered the room, looking as calm as ever and not guilty as he was supposed to be. Reid saw Tyler sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, impatience emanating from him, and all he could do was to send his friend a crooked smile. It had worked with girls many times and Reid was hoping it worked at the moment, even though he knew it was only wishful thinking.

"When you tell me you're about to fail Algebra, I feel entitled to help you, you're my brother after all," Tyler started and Reid interrupted him.

"Sorry man, Gabe is planning a party this weekend and he asked me to help. He knows I'm the parties' man and I couldn't say no!" Reid tried to explain, sensing that Tyler was more pissed than usual. Usually he would just shake his head in an apologizing manner and Ty wouldn't have cared much. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case today.

"You could have called me! I had to cancel dinner with Avery to help you and let me tell you, she wasn't happy about it." Tyler started to ramble and Reid was only able to catch the most important words- cancel, Avery and wasn't happy. Reid tried to tell himself that he wasn't glad that Tyler hadn't been able to go out with Avery, that he wasn't glad he might have caused the first fight between the couple. However, if he was feeling a tiny pleased, it wasn't really that bad, right? Avery and Tyler had been together for less than a week now; it wasn't like they were soul mates.

"Sorry man, my battery was dead," Reid said while waving his Motorola as if to prove that he was saying the truth. Tyler nodded his head and sighed tiredly. "I didn't know Avery had you so whipped," Reid commented after a moment of silent in a small chuckle.

"Ha, ha," Tyler 'laughed' sarcastically, only causing Reid to grin even more. Tyler could deny all he wanted, but he was able to read the younger boy like a book.

"It's obvious that this matter is a little delicate to you, so I guess it'll be better if we go to Algebra," The blond chuckled loudly and he moved to get a book from the pile that Tyler had previously set up. If he shut up and studied, maybe Tyler would let them finish earlier and have some beer. Reid was pulling out his beanie and fixing the tangles on his blond hair when Tyler blurted out something that made him stop.

"I want to do it with Avery," Tyler confessed in one breath, as if he had been dying to tell Reid that. Reid, however, would die just so he would not have heard that.

"It?" Reid asked, even though he already knew that 'it' didn't mean Tyler wanted to play Twister with his girlfriend. The 'it' that Tyler was referring to meant he wanted to play naked Twister with Avery and the feel of Reid's stomach practically dropping indicated that the older boy didn't like that idea one bit.

"You know…" Tyler gestured his hands and swore inside his head when he felt his cheeks redden. He wasn't a virgin and even though he didn't like to spread his conquests like Reid did, he wasn't ashamed of taking about sex. However, it didn't fell right to talk about having sex with Avery, Tyler felt like he was disrespecting her.

"Oh, I thought you two had done that ages ago," Reid decided to go with the careless approach. After all, if he looked like he was absolutely against the idea, Tyler would be suspicious.

"I thought you were Ave's best friend and knew her better than I do. She isn't like one of these girls you like that put out before you even say hello." Tyler replied with a little bit of edge on his voice, causing Reid to raise his arms in a sign of peace.

"Ow, ow, calm down, Baby boy! I was only joking, there's no need for you to get all snappy!" Reid chuckled and moved to get a bottle of water. He wasn't thirsty or anything, but he needed something to distract himself while Tyler planned his perfect first with Avery.

"I hope you're joking because of Avery ever hears about that, she'll kick your ass," Tyler warned in a light tone and all Reid could do was put on a fake smile on his face and grip the plastic water bottle as hard as he could.

He was over Avery, but not _that _over.

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Avery was thankful she had chosen to wear her Juicy Couture ballerina flats instead of Gucci ankle boots that would have made a huge noise when clinking against the marble and hardwood floor. Caleb's house looked exactly like it did two years ago and that made Avery feel a little better; maybe not everything had changed while she was away. The walls of the hallway that lead to Caleb's room were still painted in that soft cream color and adorned by portraits of famous artists and some of Caleb's baby pictures. Everything felt so familiar that Avery could remember her childhood years spent at the house.

And just like two years ago, Avery entered Caleb's room without knocking or a warning and giggled when Caleb almost jumped up from his bed- with his precious MacBook Air- in surprise. Avery didn't even have the grace to look sheepish as she moved to sit on the bed, not caring that Caleb was still recovering from the shock.

"Remember when I said I was going to buy you a bell so you could wear around your neck?" Caleb asked, his voice as calm as ever and his dark eyes focused on the notebook that was now safely placed on his lap. Avery nodded slowly, almost fearing what would happen in the next minutes. It may not look like it, but Caleb could go from hot to cold in a few seconds and it was never pretty when he was mad. "Remind me to get you one ASAP."

"Okay, what's up with you? That's when you start lecturing me about the importance of knocking," she lifted one dark, perfect plucked eyebrow in question. In another surprising move, Caleb smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I've heard that old dogs can't learn new tricks. That's one trick you're never going to learn, so why bother?" He shrugged as his lips curved in another adorable smile. "Besides, I miss my best friend." Caleb pressed a small kiss on her forehead, not bothering that he was kissing her bangs' hair instead of actual skin.

"Aww, I missed you too, that's why I'm here. I need to talk to you," Avery explained while taking off her dark pink ballerina flats. It wouldn't be a nice thing to get dirt on Caleb's Egyptian sheets that must have cost a fortune. The boy sighed, before turning his notebook off and placing it on the nightstand.

"Tell me," Caleb urged, a little anxious, but he had a feeling that she would want to talk about his other best friends. Only Avery would be able to get herself in such a mess. Being torn between two boys was bad, but when these two boys are best friends, it's just recipe for disaster.

"I think I love Tyler and Reid isn't talking to me anymore," Avery confessed in one breath, purposely leaving out the small moment she had with Pogue. It would be too hard to explain and she had more pressing matters at the moment. Caleb let out a small chuckle at the pained look she had on her face, but quickly turned sober when Avery had murderous expression.

"First of all, the Tyler part doesn't surprise me. However, why isn't Reid talking to you? I thought you were like BFFs." Now it was Avery who couldn't control her giggles.

"BFF? Please Caleb, for me, never say things like that anymore. It's not good for your reputation." Caleb could fell his cheeks redden, but tried his best to ignore it. At least, he had made Avery laugh. "Reid kissed me," she finally said and Caleb thought his jaw would hit the bed and then the floor. He knew Reid was shaken up with Tyler and Avery becoming a couple, but he would never think it would go past childish attempts to ruin their dinner date or something similar. Reid was a player but he had always been loyal to Tyler.

"Now I'm surprised. When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago, before I started to officially date Tyler. He tried to manipulate Ty, telling him that it wasn't right to date me and then I went to confront him and he kissed me. You know what's worse?" Avery was playing with her ruby ring, vividly remembering the day. "I asked him if he loved me and he kind of said yes, he said we were meant to be together."

"What did you do?" He asked, afraid that Avery let herself be charmed by Reid's pretty words. Caleb was certain that the blond loved Avery but she didn't need another boy like Pogue for a boyfriend. Without a doubt, Tyler was the best option.

"I pushed him away, told him we wouldn't be together and left. Reid doesn't even look at me anymore," she lamented, twirling a strand of chestnut brown hair between two fingers. She didn't want to date Reid, but he had been her best friends for her whole life and she couldn't even think about not having him in her life anymore. Damn that day in New York when they decided that making out was a good idea. Making out with your best friend is never a good idea. Caleb extended one arm to rub her back, trying to calm her down.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll come around. You know how proud and hard headed he is," Caleb argued, hoping this comment would be good enough to put her mind at ease. Apparently it worked, as Avery was smiling now. "You should wait a few more weeks and say the l word."

"Oh my God, are you two telling that you love each other?" It was Evelyn, Caleb's mother, looking every bit of the society woman she was. Her dark hair was shorter than Avery remembered and she didn't look as bad as Reid had told her a few months ago. Perhaps Evelyn had been able to get herself together in a short period of time. "Did my dreams become true?" Her voice held a hopeful tone, causing Avery to giggle and Caleb to roll his eyes. Ever since they were kids, Evelyn had always been loud and clear that she wanted Caleb and Avery to be together and it seemed that not even the fact that Caleb had a girlfriend was enough to make her forget it,

"Sorry Evelyn, I don't think I'll be able to make your dream come true. Caleb is _so not_ interested. He's dating a blonde, can you believe it?" Avery put out her tongue, as if she was disgusted, but began to laugh, much to Evelyn's disappointment. Her insistence was a little annoyance at first, but now it became a laughing matter and private joke between Caleb and Avery.

"It's fine," Evelyn sighed and wiped an invisible spot on her dark green cardigan. "I'm going to bed, if you fell hungry, Gianna can prepare something. You two can continue talking about… whatever," she had a little malicious grin on her face as she closed the door. Probably, Evelyn thought that they had a love affair behind everyone's backs and were just waiting for the right moment to tell.

"Oh man, I love your mom," Avery got up from the bed and stretched, causing her black and white striped sweater to ride up, showing her defined abs. Caleb stared for a small moment before getting up as well, he wasn't attracted to her, but she was still a very beautiful girl. He had to smile when she threw him a very childlike look. "Do you know what we could do?"

"No, but you're about to tell me," he made a gesture with his hand, signaling for her to continue.

"We could ask Gianna to make that stuffed hamburger she used to do, remember?" Her voice was a loud whisper and that only made Caleb's grin to get bigger. That and the memories of when he was younger and used to throw 'Mario Kart' parties, where the four boys and Avery played videogame all night and Avery complained all the time because she was certain that Reid and Tyler had a scheme to beat her every time.

"Yeah, we can, but first: why are you whispering?" Avery just smiled sheepishly, playing with the ring.

"Because, technically, I can't eat burgers or French fries," her mouth started to water at the thought of Gianna's crispy and delicious French fries. Good thing she didn't have time to hang out at Caleb's anymore, because she would've have gained many pounds, something she couldn't afford at the moment. "The Nutcracker is in less than a month and let me tell you, having the lead role is not easy. Everyone's eyes are on you," she said, remembering Naomi and everything she had done to get the role of Clara.

"Oooh, are you doing something bad?" He asked in a teasing tone and started to tickle her. Avery giggled loudly and tried to get his hands away from her stomach. She only tried, Caleb was too strong for her to stop him.

It was exactly like two years ago.

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"Ty, where is Reid?" One of the swimmers asked, almost yelling. They were standing near the bar that was next to the dancing floor and because of that, the music was so loud that some of furniture was shaking. Wrapped around Tyler's arms, Avery took a sip of her margarita and sighed in relief; that was the question she had been dying to ask ever since they arrived at the party and realized that Reid wasn't already there as expected. The only reason why didn't ask was because Tyler would have put two and two together and notice that they weren't talking anymore.

"I don't know man, I guess he's running late," he answered in the same tone, shrugging his shoulders to make it even clearer. The tall, blond guy nodded his head and walked towards the throng of people dancing.

"Did you call Reid?" Avery questioned in a conversational tone, trying not to sound too curious. Tyler unwrapped his arms from her to get his phone from his pocket, checking for any messages. There weren't- not that Tyler was expecting any.

"No and I'm not going to. He's probably with a girl and will want to kick my ass if I interrupt," Tyler chuckled as he remembered the last time that happened. He had honestly thought Reid was going to use his powers to kill him because he entered the room while Reid was in a heated make out session with Olivia Jones.

After many pleases and kisses from Tyler, Avery agreed to go to Gabriel Trent's party. For some unknown reason, she didn't want to spend the whole Saturday night in a house with loud music and drunk teenagers. Not only that, but she was certain that her fitted dark blue Milly dress would be smelling disgusting. Damn, she should've have worn jeans and a shirt, but no, she had to choose something from the Barneys bag her mother had sent earlier.

"Do you want to find Caleb and Sarah?" Tyler whispered on her ear, purposely not mentioning his other best friend and girlfriend. It wasn't a secret to anyone that the two girls didn't get along too well, probably because Kate was afraid that Pogue would go running to his ex girlfriend. Knowing that Tyler wasn't able to see her face, Avery smiled contently, he was just so cute! He probably noticed she wasn't having fun and wanted to try and help.

"Nope," gossiping with an almost drunk Sarah would be fun, but she'd rather stay snuggling with her handsome boyfriend, especially because she had already noticed the looks he was receiving from all the Spenser sluts. Normally, they would be all over Reid, but it looked like Tyler was their second best option.

"Are you sure?" he pressed, not wanting Avery to think she had to stay there with him instead of having fun with her friend. Avery giggled while taking a sip of her margarita, almost spilling the liquid on her dress; being with Tyler always made her a little lightheaded.

"I'm sure. This place here is strategic, we can see everything that is going on," Tyler lifted one eyebrow and the smile he had on his face transformed into a look of confusion. Avery raised a hand to fix the thick, brown hair strands that were almost covering her blue eyes. '_It's time to cut the bangs again._' she thought while throwing the hair to the side.

"So, you wanna explain me why this place is so good?" This was so her, leaving him all curious and instead of explaining things right away, she would go and be concerned with frivolous things like her hair.

"You never witnessed a very embarrassing drunken moment and kept laughing about it?" Tyler gave nodded in an almost imperceptible way, as if he didn't want to admit doing such an ungentlemanly thing. Avery could fell her heart flutter a little more; Tyler got cuter and cuter as the night went on. "We'll be able to witness everything from here!"

That statement could've made her look like a bitch, but she didn't really care. Last year, she had sneaked to LA with a group of friends and one week later there was a video on interned showing her dancing and holding a glass of tequila at Coco de Ville. So, laughing at drunk people wasn't that horrible. Besides, it wasn't like she had given them the booze herself.

"Aren't you a mean girl?" Tyler chuckled as he turned her around so they were facing each other. Even when she was wearing the Louboutin pumps that made her super tall, Tyler continued towering over her, another thing she loved about him. "You continue to surprise me every day," he stated in a charming voice that threatened to melt Avery.

"Surprise you in a good or bad way?" Avery asked, cocking her head to the side, looking like a curious small girl. In response, Tyler smirked.

"The fun is in not knowing," he leaned down to whisper against her mouth and rubbed the lips together, barely kissing.

"Smartass," Avery muttered before deepening the kiss, the hand that wasn't holding the margarita went up to caress the nape of his neck. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Tyler broke it the ardent kiss, going for small pecks.

"Look who's here," Tyler pointed to the door's direction with his chin and Avery looked. Damn, she shouldn't have looked. There was Reid, with his black beanie, a smirk on his face and something that really disturbed her: he was holding hands with an all too familiar strawberry blonde. Impulsively, Avery drained the contents of her glass, wanting to go to the bar and have tequila shots more than anything. Perhaps that would calm her from the soon-to-be blinding rage she was feeling.

Drugging her was a messed up thing to do, but using her best friend to get revenge was crossing the lines. Avery knew that Naomi wanted to have the role more than anything, but was it really necessary for her to stoop so, so low and involve Reid in her little games? Avery could feel her brain working as fast as possible, trying to think of ways to get Naomi out of Reid's life; probably she had already got him all hooked. He did bring her to the party and they were holding hands. Damn it.

_That little bitch._

_-tbc-_

_**A/N: Hey again! I'm sorry I didn't update The Rule, I wasn't very inspired. Thanks for everyone who reviewed the last chapter, they always make my day! I know this chapter is a little boring but I wanted to show Avery and Caleb's friendship, I was starting to neglçect it. Next chapter: will Avery behave or will she get into a catfight with Naomi? Please make my day and leave a review!**  
_


	12. Don't hate the two blondes

**Disclaimer: The Covenant is not mine....**

**Chapter Twelve: Don't hate the two blondes**

The R&B song and the calming way that Tyler's thumb was rubbing the side of her hip was what made Avery stay rooted to her place instead of going straight to Naomi and throw her away from the party. This was probably why Naomi wasn't fuming so bad when Avery managed to make Somova give her the lead role back; she had already planned her revenge. And to make things even worse, Naomi was using Reid and Avery was sure that the boy had no idea.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked in a concerned voice, whispering on her ear over the loud music.

"I'm fine," she answered and leaned on his broad chest, feeling a little calmer now. Avery realized that if she focused solely on Tyler, she wouldn't lose control and start a catfight with Naomi. So that was what she was trying to do: forget that her now declared enemy was standing too close for her liking. "I just wanted to be alone with you,"

"Why haven't you said that before?" He pulled her even closer and flashed her one of his smiles that had the power of melting her to the floor. Avery was hoping he would suggest them to ditch the party and go back to her room, where they could have much more fun than they were having now. A high school party was fun for only so long.

"What are you going to do about it?" Avery giggled and hid her face on the crook of his neck, smelling his musky cologne and enjoying the comfort that he gave her. She wanted to tell him about her problems, but that meant she'd have to tell him about what happened between her and Reid and the last things she wanted was to make two best friends fight because of her.

"We could go back to you room, if that's what you want," he spoke like the perfect gentleman he was and Avery couldn't help but giggle at his charming way.

"You were the one who practically begged me to come to this party, remember? I wanted to stay in my very comfortable bed, but no, we had to come to _Gabe's amazing party_!" She exclaimed, imitating Tyler from when he was trying to convince her to come.

"I only wanted to come because Reid was helping Gabe and he asked me to come, but now I see he's too busy to be bothered with me or anyone for the matter," Tyler pointed to Reid's direction with his jaw and chuckled. Avery's blue eyes followed the direction and saw that Reid and Naomi were all chummy chummy, holding hands and laughing. That had to be one of those moments when Avery thought that just a scene would be capable of making her lose the snack she had eaten a few hours ago.

"You want to leave?" Avery pouted a little, making Tyler laugh and kiss her cheek like she was a small child asking for more candy.

"We can leave, baby. I'm sure that I won't be missed around here," Tyler said and Avery snorted, remembering the looks she was getting from most of the Spenser girls that were at the party just because she was with him. It was kind of cute how Tyler didn't seem to have any idea that the girls were just crazy about him.

"I just need to go to the toilet and then we can leave, okay?" Avery gave him a small peck on the lips before staring at one person who was standing behind them.

There were some things that she needed to do before going back to the dorm.

000000

Avery wasn't surprised when she saw that Naomi was already waiting for her in the bathroom; the girl had been able to understand what that glance meant after all.

"You never told me how fun these Spenser parties are," Naomi said, a smug smile on her face. Avery knew that she was probably having the time of her life now; Naomi also studied in a private school, but she always wanted to study at Spenser and hang out with Spenser students, especially with the 'Sons'.

"You never asked," it was true. Naomi didn't really ask her about Spenser related things, just the basics.

"What are you doing here with Reid?" Avery really tried not to let the accusatory tone show on her voice, but she couldn't. "How do you even know him?"

"We met in a bar and became friends, well, more than friends as you could see," Naomi giggled like she was in love with Reid or something and bells rang inside Avery's head. Reid was charming and everything, but she didn't expect Naomi to fall for that.

"Stop using him to get to me!" Avery cried, without noticing that her voice was louder than she had expected and felt relieved that they were on the second floor, reducing the chances of someone overhearing them. Naomi sat on a white, modern chair- these rich people in New England, really- and looked at Avery like she was crazy.

"Not everything is about you, Avery,"

"I know that, but I'm sorry if I think that after you drugged me in purpose," Avery hissed in a sour voice and Naomi had the grace to look sheepish for a second. "Not that it matters; Mrs. Somova can recognize real talent when she sees it," she said meanly and felt like laughing when she noticed the anger on Naomi's brown eyes.

"Just because daddy is paying the whole Nutcracker, it doesn't mean you have the talent," Naomi sing sang as she opened her purse to get a lip gloss for a retouch. Disgusted, Avery noticed that the other girl's lips seemed to be swollen and all red from kissing. Thank God she didn't have to witness that horrible scene.

"First of all; my dad doesn't even know about the Nutcracker and second: it's amazing what envy can do to people. It's not my fault if Somova thought I'd do a better job as Clara than you," Avery shrugged, but her mind was considering the possibility that her mother might be paying the production. Doing something like that just screamed Regina Darling.

"If that's what you need to tell yourself, be my guest." Avery walked to the closed door and unlocked it, but she turned around to say on last thing. "Stay away from Reid, Naomi. That's all I have to tell you," the threat was evident on her voice and Naomi raised her eyebrows; she didn't really expect Avery to confront her about Reid.

Whatever, she wasn't afraid of Avery anyway.

00000

Tyler tried to fix his tie for the third time and threw the navy blue item away when he wasn't able to do it. While wearing the uniform at Spenser, he never bothered with his tie, so it always loose around his neck. Today, however, Tyler was going to a meeting with his father and he wanted to look the best possible.

"You should just give up and go because it's almost two o'clock and I'm sure you dad will kill you if you show up late," Reid said in an amused voice as he watched his friend analyze his reflection in the mirror; he could understand that Ty wanted to impress his dad, but Reid didn't really know why he was trying so hard. Tyler was a poster child, his lowest grade in the whole year had been a B minus and he was taking AP classes.

"I know, but dad said I should look presentable in front of the executives,"

"Ty, you're wearing a blazer, I'm sure you look presentable enough, so please stop twirling in front of the mirror and get going!" Reid grumbled and opened the magazine he was holding to start reading it. From where he was standing, Tyler sighed and looked at his reflection one last time before grabbing his things to leave. The door bell rang and Tyler cursed lowly; these people had such a horrible timing that it was ridiculous. "I'll get it," Reid moved to stand up, but the other boy stopped him.

"It's fine, I'll answer the door and probably scare whoever is at the door," Tyler said while rushing up to the door in an anxious manner, causing Reid to chuckle lowly. He opened the door hastily and felt the scowl on his face be replaced by a radiant smile when he saw that it was Avery. "Hey,"

"Hey," she giggled and kissed his mouth for a few seconds. "Okay, why are you nervous and all dressed up? Oh, don't tell me, you have a date with your other girlfriend, don't you?" Avery questioned, pretending to look affronted and Tyler just laughed.

"I wish," he said and had raised his arms to protect himself from Avery and the slaps she was trying to give him. "I'm going to a meeting with my dad and executives and I'm late. Are you here to see me?"

"I'm here to see you _too_. I need to talk to Reid," she told him and Reid sat up in surprise. "Do you need to leave right now?"

"Yeah. I'll see you when I get back, okay?" He murmured and leaned down to kiss her properly, not caring if Reid or someone else was watching.

"Okay." Tyler entered the room again to grab his wallet and keys and left.

"I have to admit, you never cease to surprise me, Darling." Reid drawled and Avery felt her lips curl in a smile. They weren't on speaking terms, but he was still her best friend. She placed her Marc Jacobs purple tote on the table and walked up to him.

"Is that a good thing?" Avery asked as she sat on the chair that was placed in front of the couch, feeling the high ponytail bob as she sat down.

"It depends on what you're here to tell me," he declared with that naughty smile on his face, even though he was sure that Avery was just there to try and rekindle their friendship.

"I love you, Reid," Avery started to say and sighed, trying to think how she was going to get straight to the point and tell him that Naomi was a complete bitch.

"Okay, that's a good thing," Reid chuckled and Avery felt even worse.

"You're my best friend and that's why I need to tell you something," she nervously started to play with the hem of her black high waisted skirt and Reid frowned at her behavior; Avery didn't get nervous or hesitant around him, ever. "That girl you brought to the party yesterday,"

"Oh, that's Naomi, I met he like, three weeks ago," Reid interrupted and Avery felt like smacking him on the head because of it.

"Yeah, the thing is… I know her and she's not a good person, Reid." Suddenly all his ease and playfulness with her were gone and Avery knew he was starting to get pissed off, even though he was still silent.

"What the hell do you mean by that, Ave?" He stood up; throwing the magazine on the couch and Avery knew that wasn't a good sign. "How do you even know Naomi to be talking shit about her?"

"She's in my ballet school, I've known her for years," she babbled and Reid felt another frown form on his face. On the few times he had talked to her about Avery, Naomi never mentioned that she happened to know her. Why would she lie to him?

"Naomi never told me," he murmured a little astonished and sat down again, causing Avery to sigh relieved before nodding.

"I know, I didn't expect her to do it," Avery commented and stood up, before waking up to the couch and sitting down next to him. Maybe if she was next to Reid, he would be a little calmer when she told him the truth. "She's using you to get to me, Reid."

"What?" He murmured, his blue eyes looking confused like a child's.

"I don't want you to be hurt, Reid. That's why I'm telling you that." Avery explained, biting on her perfect manicured nails without noticing that she was ruining the burgundy Chanel nail polish.

"I still don't get what the hell you're trying to tell me." Just by the way his hands were fisted and his jaw was locked, Avery could tell that Reid was tense and she felt her heartbeat get a little faster. It was obvious he wouldn't be as understanding as she hoped he would be.

"Naomi is a bitch who's trying to get to me by dating you," she said everything in one breath and actually regretted her harsh words after they left her mouth. It took a couple seconds for Reid to process everything.

To Avery's complete surprise, Reid didn't try to hit her or made something levitate to try to hit her. He just started laughing in a way that was beginning to disturb her.

"That's funny, don't you think?" He asked in a mean voice that made her shudder- and not in the good way. Avery opened her mouth to retort, but Reid beat her to it. "The minute I start going out with another girl, you start complaining. Why is that?" Reid wondered in a sarcastic tone.

"Screw you," she hissed, feeling like she had been slapped on the face. This was why fighting with your best friends was worse than fighting with your word enemy; any word that came out of Reid's mouth would probably hurt her more than any bullshit that Naomi said on their fights.

"I got over you and you can't take it! You want me to follow you like a lost puppy!" Reid cried, trying to control the urge to use his powers. He always wanted to use when he got mad, but he couldn't do it- Caleb would have his ass otherwise.

"This is so not the matter, Reid!" Avery exclaimed in an incredulous voice as she furiously brushed the bangs that were covering her eyes.

"What is the matter then? You want me to be hung up on you forever!"

"No! I want you to be with someone who truly cares for you!"

"Naomi is fine; you just want me to be available for when you break up with Tyler!" Reid yelled and sighed when he was done; looking like a weight had been lifted from his chest. Avery could tell that he had been thinking this for a while and that hurt more than she imagined it would.

"I d-don't know what to tell you anymore, Reid," Avery whispered, feeling her eyes get wet from tears and she knew she had to leave before she started sobbing. "I gotta go."

She grabbed her purse and quickly moved towards the door, slamming it when she left. Reid cursed lowly and ran a hand through his blond hair. He knew that their friendship was even more damaged than before, but he had other pressing matters. Reid grabbed his phone and started pressing Naomi's numbers.

"Hey, I need to talk to you. Can we meet up for lunch? Yeah, see you in twenty minutes," Reid hung up and went to his room to change.

He was a man on a mission now.

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The smell of fries and all the noise assaulted Reid and he honestly thought he was going to hurl. The fight he had with Avery had made him a little dizzy, so he took two Advil pills before coming to the dingy diner that Naomi had chosen. The damn place looked too much like Nicky's without the foosball and pool tables and Reid couldn't help but have a feeling that half of the Spenser students would come in, like it always happened at Nicky's. He spotted Naomi sitting on a table, looking beautiful and not the bitch Avery swore she was.

"Hey," Reid greeted smoothly, amazed that he was able to keep his cool and not ask her what he needed to know straight away. Naomi pushed a lock of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and gave him a pearly white smile that reminded him of Avery. Everything reminded him of Avery now and it was starting to get a little annoying.

"Hey. I thought you would be laying with a hangover now," she said and giggled, before taking a gulp of her iced tea. Reid shrugged and stole one of the fries that was on her plate. Actually, it wasn't her plate, because she was eating a salad. She must've ordered the fries for him, which was a good thing; the only thing he had eaten was a banana and a granola bar.

"I didn't have too much to drink yesterday," Reid answered, remembering that he had three beers on the party last night; almost a record.

"You're right," Naomi proceeded to eat some of her lettuce and Reid felt like he couldn't procrastinate anymore.

"Do you know Avery?" He asked straight away, making sure not to stutter. The hand that was holding the fork stopped on the way to her mouth and Naomi stared at him with big, surprised eyes.

"What?"

"Do you know Avery Darling?" He repeated and saw something resembling guilt crossing her brown eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Reid. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want to ruin your friendship," she said and it was Reid's turn to be surprised. What the hell was she talking about now? "Avery and I dance together at Prescott. The reason why I didn't tell you that is because, well, we don't like each other. Actually, she hates me."

"And why would she hate you?" Reid knew that Avery could be a little bitchy, but she was always nice to people; hating someone without a reason just wasn't Avery Darling.

"We are dancing The Nutcracker on December, as you already know and Avery has the lead role," Naomi gripped the hem of her blue coat, hoping that Reid wouldn't notice that she was pissed. It wasn't her fault, really; she always got pissed when she remembered that precious Avery had everything she wanted. "There was this rehearsal and Avery was really bad, she couldn't dance at all, so the teacher told her to go home and put me on her place just so her partner could rehearse. I guess she got really angry at me when she found that." Naomi made sure to include the little innocent shrug of shoulders.

"I didn't know that. Ave never told me about that,"

"Maybe she's embarrassed that the teacher told her to go home, I don't know…"

That kind of made sense, Avery was a proud girl and she hated to show her weakness. Maybe Naomi was right and the only reason why Avery hated her was because of that little incident. Maybe that was why Avery believed that Naomi was using him.

"Are you okay, Reid?" Naomi asked, batting her long eyelashes at him. She made sure to turn on the flirt switch to convince Reid that she was the good guy in the story.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Reid lifted his arm and signaled for the young waiter to bring another iced tea. He was dying to get some beer or vodka, but iced tea would have to do now. "I'm just wondering why you never told me that you knew my best friend before." _Well, ex best friend_ Reid thought bitterly while munching on a French fry.

"She doesn't like me, Reid. If I had told you, then you would've suggested a double date and that would've been a disaster. Besides, I didn't want to ruin your friendship with her."

Reid's blue eyes met Naomi's and he smiled at her, nodding his head. She also smiled, knowing that whatever Avery had told him didn't work. Naomi could fell that she won the battle.

Naomi one, Avery zero.

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**A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I'm studying like crazy and I don't have much time to write. Thanks so much for all your review! Please continue reviewing; your opinion makes me really happy! **


	13. Tears at Thanksgiving

**A/N: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a long time! I tried to write a long chapter, but I didn't want to put everything in this chapter.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Tears at Thanksgiving**

"Veronica, hey. It's Avery Darling. Is my father there?" Avery talked impatiently on her phone and Sarah stifled a giggled at how things were progressing. It was Thanksgiving in five days and Avery wanted to call her parents to ask where they would spend the holiday, but she wasn't having much luck and that was actually the fifth time she had been directed to another secretary. "He's not there. Well, do you know where he is? Of course he didn't tell you. Thanks," she snapped and hung up.

"They don't know where your father is," Sarah stated and Avery nodded, breathing in and out, trying to calm herself down.

"The man has eight secretaries and five of them are clueless!"

"Why don't you just call him and be done with it?" The blonde asked, her forehead frowning. Avery looked at her friend and let out a small laugh. Sarah clearly didn't understand the way her family functioned, especially after the stunt that got Avery in boarding school again. Her father was probably somewhere with her mother and they forgot to tell her their destination. This had happened already, so Avery wasn't really surprised.

"He uses a different number when he goes travelling. I don't know his number," Avery muttered in a frustrated tone before having an idea. "But I know who to call right now." Once again, she started to type away on her iPhone, scrolling through her list of contacts.

"Okay, good luck this time," Sarah said and went back on eating her fruit salad. It was clear that Avery had influenced her more than she cared to admit. A few weeks ago, Sarah would've laughed if someone told her she would be eating fruit instead of eggs and bacon.

"Paddy. Where the hell are you?" Avery angrily inquired and Sarah could tell she was talking to her older brother and it was not a happy talk. "I'll talk however I choose. So tell me, where are you?"

Sarah wasn't able to make out Patrick's words, but she knew it wasn't a good thing. After all, she knew Avery enough to recognize the angry glint on the other girl's eyes.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? Oh my God, did Dad have anything to do with this?" Avery almost screeched, causing Sarah to cringe a little and the people at the hall to stare at them. Because she was dating Caleb Danvers, Sarah got used to people staring at her, but that didn't mean she liked it the way Kate seemed to do. "Yeah, whatever. No, I don't want the jet to pick me up and no I won't go to Valhalla. I'll spend Thanksgiving alone. Send mom and dad my best wishes, okay?" Avery said and ended the call, still huffing. It was in that moment that Caleb and Tyler arrived in the hall and both boys sat down, joining their girlfriends.

"Hey," Sarah greeted Caleb with a small kiss and turned her attention to Avery again. "What happened now?"

"They're in Valhalla, can you believe it? They always spend Thanksgiving there, but I thought my parents would go to Europe or something, but no. They just didn't want to invite me!" Tyler put his arms on Avery's shoulders as an attempt to calm her.

"Babe, I'm sure that your parents just forgot to invite you," Tyler said, rubbing his other hands up and down her clothed arm. "You told me they were having a hectic life." He kissed her temple in a loving gesture, but Avery continued to be silent.

"What did your brother say?" Sarah asked.

"He wanted to send the jet to pick me up, but I refused," Avery answered and rested her head on Tyler's shoulder.

"How does someone refuses a trip in a private jet?" Sarah wondered out loud, not able to keep her thoughts to herself. Much to the blonde's relief, Avery didn't take it in a bad way, she just giggled against the crook of Tyler's neck.

"Oh, you don't know my mother. Perhaps it's for the best that I spend Thanksgiving here in Ipswich."

"But when will you talk to your parents then?" Avery almost smiled when she noticed that Sarah was truly concerned with her relationship with her parents.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure my mother will be here in a few weeks. It's the Nutcracker and she won't miss it," Avery said, rolling her eyes. She could picture her mother sitting in front row, ready to single out every one of her mistakes.

"My girl here is the lead," Tyler announced in a proud papa voice, causing Caleb and Sarah to laugh at his behavior. "I just had the greatest idea! Why don't you have Thanksgiving dinner with us?"

A few years ago, Avery would've said yes without thinking twice. However, she had to consider her current situation with Reid _and _Pogue before making a decision.

"The dinner will be in Pogue's house," Caleb informed her and Avery could feel Tyler's eyes on her, curious to see her reaction to that little piece of information.

"Oh, I didn't realize that it was his turn," Avery said with a frown. She knew that the four families took turns in throwing Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas feasts, but she didn't realize that it was Pogue's family turn this year. "Well, it's not like this is going to stop me from coming. Pogue's parents love me, after all."

"That they do. I thought his mother was going to disown him when you two broke up." Caleb laughed and for the first time in a long time, Avery felt like laughing with him instead of tensing up with the bad memories. Fortunately, Tyler didn't seem to be bothered with that talk either.

"Wow, that's a surprise. His mother was always spoiling him," Avery replied, remembering that Pogue's mother treated him like he was her precious bundle of joy that could do no wrong. "But then again, all of the mothers seem to love me." She flipped her hair before laughing.

"I can't argue with that. I think mom is still trying to adopt you," Caleb said while shaking his head. "Or trying to get us together."

"She always did that," Avery said and then noticed the look on Tyler's and Sarah's face. The former was frowning, probably wondering if there was something between Avery and Caleb and the latter was just plain surprised. "Oops, I guess you two didn't know about that."

"It's nothing serious. My mom has this wild imagination." Caleb started to explain and Avery could tell he was trying his best to assure Sarah that he wasn't romantically interested in his best female friend.

"Yeah. It's not like I'd ever date him, he's like my big brother, only more sensible." Avery laughed and wondered where Jeremy, her other brother, was. Knowing him, he was probably in Fiji or Tahiti.

"That's true. So, would you like to come?" Tyler asked, making sure to do his perfected version of puppy eyes. Avery looked at him and sighed. She knew she wouldn't be able to say no when he had that expression on his face.

"What are you planning to do?" Pogue asked before he even sat down. Caleb and Sarah exchanged worried glances, but Avery didn't let herself to be phased by Kate's 'trying to be' intimidating glare and she let her lips curl in a smile.

"Caleb invited me to have Thanksgiving with you guys." Avery answered and almost laughed at the way that Kate's expression turned sour."I know it's going to be at your house, so I hope that's okay with you." Pogue cleared his throat and looked at Kate before talking.

"Oh, of course it's okay with me." Pogue tried to talk in an assuring way, but Avery could tell he wasn't really comfortable with the situation.

"Great, now that we solved this whole situation, I gotta go." Avery kissed Tyler and stood up. "See you in class!"

Caleb looked at Pogue's shocked expression and then to Kate, who wasn't hiding her anger very well.

There's one thing Thanksgiving wouldn't be: boring.

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"Are you sure I look fine?" Avery asked Tyler for the fifth time, gesturing to her Lanvin black dress. She knew she looked good, but this was one of the times when she just needed reassurance. After all, she would be meeting Tyler's parents as his girlfriend and she would meet Pogue's parents for the first time after they broke up.

"You look gorgeous, stop fussing." He held out his hand and Avery accepted so she would be able to get out of the car as graceful as possible. This wasn't a very easy task, seeing that she was wearing pumps and the damn Hummer was huge. Thankfully, there were stars in the sky and it wasn't raining. Otherwise, Avery's so beautiful Louboutin pumps would be ruined by the wet grass. "Really, I don't understand why you're so nervous. The girl Reid is bringing is the one who should be nervous."

They were calmly walking towards the house and Avery stopped at the exact moment Tyler talked. Her boyfriend must be mistaken, he _had to be_ mistaken. Reid just couldn't invite Naomi to have Thanksgiving with them, especially after she had told Reid how vicious that girl was. It seemed that her words meant nothing to him.

"Are you okay?" Tyler gave Avery a concerned look and she nodded, trying her best not to let Tyler noticed that her eyes were wet with tears. If he saw her crying, she would have to explain everything that had happened and that wasn't the right time or place.

'_Find Caleb and a quiet corner to cry' _Avery was chanting inside her head as she lifted a gloved hand to wipe one small tear.

The couple finally got on the front porch and Tyler rang the bell. Avery took a deep breath as they waited for someone to answer the door. Hopefully, the maid would show up to greet them, giving her a little more time to compose herself before having to face everyone. Even if her mascara was water proof, she could feel her face getting redder than usual.

"Good evening, Mr. Tyler. May I take your coats?" A short maid with an accent that Avery wasn't able to identify was the one to greet them and Avery breathed in relief. Behaving like the gentleman he was, Tyler helped her take off her coat and handed it to the maid. "Everyone is waiting in the living room." She informed the two teens, not bothering to tell them how to get there. After all, they practically grew up in that house and Avery still knew how to navigate around the place, even though it had been almost two years since she had been there.

The house looked the same, with the Monet and Renoir paintings hanging on the wall, the orchids and tulips that had been specially delivered from some place that Avery couldn't remember, the marble and hardwood floor and all the family pictures. For a minute, Avery didn't remember about the situation with Naomi and Reid and her mind was filled with memories, bringing that nostalgic feeling.

"Oh my God, are my eyes deceiving me?" Avery heard Rosalie before she even saw hear and felt a smile coming to her instantaneously. Rosalie Parry was practically a second mother to Avery when she was little and that relationship got stronger when she started dating Pogue. Avery was very excited to see her again, but she felt a little ashamed that she never talked to Rosalie after she broke up with Pogue. "Is Avery my Darling here?"

"Hey Aunt Rose," Avery said in a quiet voice and walked towards Rosalie, who already her arms open for a hug. "I missed you," she murmured, resting her head on Rosalie's shoulder. With the high heels Avery was wearing, she was only a little shorter than the other woman. With her golden brown hair falling to her shoulders and wearing that dark green dress, Rosalie still looked gorgeous.

"You shouldn't hog the guest, Rosalie," someone said and Avery looked up to see a tall, thin, blonde woman. It was Meredith Garwin. Their embrace lasted another second and that was when Avery was able to see who was in the living room. Kate was sitting next to Pogue on a leather couch, looking extremely pissed off, but trying to play the role of the perfect girlfriend and Naomi had a smug expression that made Avery want to smack her face. "It's been a year, I guess."

"You're right. I stayed in Manhattan with my family." From the corner of her eyes, Avery saw Pogue shift on his seat in an uncomfortable way.

"Well, you were missed." Meredith subtly pointed her head at Reid's direction with a small smile and Avery felt her throat closing again, one of the signs that she was going to cry.

"I missed all of you too. Ipswich is my home and not even New York can top it off." Avery had a rather fake smile on her face, silently praying that nobody noticed that. That was wishful thinking, because she knew that Caleb and the traitor ex best friend that went by the name of Reid Garwin were always able to read her like an open book.

"But your mother told me that you had a _great_ time there," Rosalie commented in a meaningful voice and Pogue twitched in a very subtle way that only Avery was able to notice, as she wondered if the twitch was connected to what his mother had just said.

"Well, I did. But being in the SAB was harder than I could ever anticipate, so sometimes it was more work than play," Avery said honestly and felt a little relieved that the urge to cry was going away. Naomi couldn't help but roll her eyes at what the brunette said. In Naomi's opinion, Avery was a pathetic girl who needed to have everyone's attention turned to her.

"Oh, I remember Regina telling me that. She also invited us to see you dancing at Lincoln Center, but we couldn't make it. Your mother was so proud!"

"I know, I think that was the happiest my mom has ever been. I literally thought she was going to kiss my teacher when he announced that I had been chosen to play Aurora." Avery laughed as she remembered the way her mother, the socialite extraordinaire, who wasn't exactly known for showing her feelings, almost jumped in happiness.

"Do you still have your sights set on Julliard?" Anne Simms, Tyler's mom, asked her curiously. Avery turned her head to look at Naomi before answering.

"Yeah, I want to go to Julliard, but dad wants me to go to Harvard. I think Harvard became a tradition around here," Avery said and pointed one finger to the men and then to Caleb.

"Only good things become tradition, my dear," Wayne Parry piped in as he swirled the whiskey inside his glass in a smooth way. _Just like his son. _Avery couldn't help but think that as she looked at her ex future father in law.

"Probably." She smiled and went to sit with Tyler on the black love seat. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Avery could feel herself relax a little more, even though she was under Kate's and Naomi's hateful glares.

"You kids behave; we're going to have an adult conversation in my study before Mary sets the table, okay?" Wayne said as he and the other adults got up from their seats and walked towards the door.

"Yeah dad, we're going to throw a party while you're gone, you got me," Pogue declared in a flat voice while rolling his eyes. Wayne shook his head, silently telling his son that it would be nice to drop the sarcasm for a while. As soon as they were out the door and far enough, Reid clapped his hands and also got up.

"Okay, who wants a real drink?" Reid asked, mocking the soda they had been drinking, and walked towards the luxurious Wayne Parry's bar.

"What have you got there, babe?" Naomi looked up at him, not ready to lose an opportunity to make Avery uncomfortable. Reid started to go through the bottles, looking for the Grey Goose to make a drink. He found it and held it up in triumph.

"We've got Grey Goose, so let's start with the vodka cocktails first!" he announced and Caleb rolled his eyes; the older boy could already anticipate what would happen if Reid got too excited over the vodka.

"Don't get too excited, we're going to have dinner in thirty minutes." At first, Caleb didn't want to say anything so he wouldn't create any tension, but after watching the way Reid poured the vodka on a glass, he felt he had to speak up.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Caleb, we're just having some fun," Reid said as he got another glass to fill with vodka and some orange juice. In an attempt to show 'her man' some support, Naomi nodded so Caleb would notice that Reid was right. Because he wasn't stupid, Caleb understood what the gesture meant and he couldn't help but growl lowly. Who the hell did that girl think she was? Sarah sensed that her boyfriend's patience was wearing put, so she put a hand on his knee to help him calm down.

"Just don't get drunk and pass out," Pogue advised in a bored voice, as if he couldn't care less that Reid would probably drink all of his father's vodka.

"Don't worry, I'm not the one who likes to put on a show, remember?" Reid said with a smirk and Avery immediately stopped talking to Tyler and looked up, her eyes sending the other boy a clear threat.

"What?" she asked, not even noticing how the room became silent and the way that Kate and Naomi were looking at her, ready to pick up any information that could ruin her reputation. "What did you just say?" Reid raised his arms in an 'I'm innocent' gesture.

"Nothing, I'm just saying, Ave." Avery had been annoyed with Reid before, but nothing came close to what she was feeling at that moment. Maybe it was a good thing he was standing a little far from her, because she would've committed a crime.

"Get them out," Caleb hissed to Sarah, pointing to Kate and Naomi's direction with his head. If World War III would happen in the living room, he certainly didn't need the two girls to witness it. Besides, Reid always lost control of his power when he was too angry and Caleb couldn't risk Naomi seeing that. "Please."

"Okay, I'll try." Sarah took a few seconds to get in character as she tried to put a fake excited smile on her face. She got up and straightened her navy blue dress. "Girls! Did you know that Pogue's mom has two closets? One with eveningwear clothes and another with daywear. I asked her if we could take a look at it and she was okay with it. Why don't we go there before dinner is served?"

The two girls didn't look very excited as they exchanged a look, wondering if going through Rosalie's label clothes would be better than watching the free entertainment provided by Reid and Avery. Realizing what Caleb wanted to do, Pogue tapped Kate's thigh.

"You should go. It's not every day that mom allows someone to take a tour in the close." Pogue tried to convince her. "Besides, nothing is going to happen, I assure you."

"If you say so." Kate shrugged her shoulders. "I'll go with you, Sarah."

Naomi wanted to see what would happen, but she could tell when she wasn't wanted in a place.

"Well, I can't refuse if there's Chanel involved." Naomi let out a small nervous laugh and also got up. "You lead the way."

Instead of rolling her eyes like she wanted, Sarah just giggled and started walking. She just hoped the argument between Avery and Reid would be brief, because she didn't want to spend a long time with the two girls. Not even if it was around Valentino and Balenciaga dresses.

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"You're an asshole, did you know that?" Now that the other girls couldn't hear her anymore, Avery figured that it would be better for her own sanity to stop pretending that everything was alright.

"I was joking, Avery. Why can't you take a joke?" Reid questioned, even though he knew she had the right to be mad. He made the 'drunk' comment just so he would get a reaction from her. After all, Avery still got embarrassed when they mentioned the episode when she got drunk and started dancing on the living room table.

"Oh, please that was no joke! You're just trying to piss me off!" She got up in one fast move, not able to contain her anger anymore. The other three boys looked at each other, at a loss of what to do. Pogue and Tyler had no idea why the two 'best friends forever' were arguing like that, while Caleb just hoped that Reid wouldn't accidentally tell Avery something he would regret later.

"Oh, really? And why would I do that?" Reid wondered out loud, while taking a big gulp of the vodka. The burning sensation on his throat seemed to calm him a little. Avery, however, looked like a furious lioness.

"You tell me. At first you bring Naomi here, even when you know I'm coming and then you start making these…" Avery started to ramble, but Reid cut her off.

"So what I brought her? Just because you don't like her, it doesn't mean I can't go out with her anymore. And yeah, you hate her because she replaced you one time in ballet!"

In that moment, Avery could swear that her vision swirled a little just before she started seeing red. There were words that were just begging to come out and Avery bit her bottom lip, trying to keep them inside.

"She drugged me! Naomi drugged me!" Apparently, her effort to hold the words wasn't good enough. Three boys looked absolutely shocked and one looked like he was trying to solve a puzzle. As soon as Reid recovered from the initial shock, he gave her a look that said she was crazy.

"If you wanted to lie, why couldn't you make up a story that's more believable? Because this 'Naomi drugged me' thing is a little too crazy for me!" Reid laughed in that sardonic way and Avery didn't know what else to say- again.

"She's not lying." Pogue's voice broke the silence that had formed in the room. Again, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"She's not lying because I found her that day in the hallway. She was almost passed out, so I took her back to her room and took care of her. I know she was drugged because I Used to find out what was wrong. There were some heavy sleeping pills," Pogue explained, feeling bad for Reid and the guilty expression he had.

"I-I don't know what to say," Reid confessed after another moment of silence, looking like a confused little boy. These words made Avery wake up and finally react again.

"Then please don't say anything," she commanded in a hard, yet almost broken voice. It was time for her to get out of there, no doubt. "I need to leave."

"What? Ave, please don't go," Tyler pleaded. He still didn't figure out what had just happened, but he wanted his girlfriend to be with him in Thanksgiving. Besides, she had nowhere else to go.

"Please tell your mothers I'm sorry, okay?" In an unexpected move, Avery walked up to Pogue and hugged him in gratitude. If it wasn't for him, Avery would've probably just endure Reid's hurting words without talking back to reveal Naomi's true colors. "Thank you." Pogue squeezed her arm in response.

"Wait, I'll come with you!" Tyler offered, but Avery shook her head.

"I'd like to be alone for a while, okay? I'll call you." She raised her head to place a small kiss on his lips, enjoying his familiar cologne. Tyler ran his hands through her hair, trying to comfort her as much as possible.

"Okay, please call me."

Avery nodded slowly before walking up to Caleb so she could also give him a hug. When she was gone, the three boys looked at Reid expecting an explanation.

"What? I know I fucked up, okay?"

"It's not okay when you make my girl feel that bad that she feels the need to spend Thanksgiving alone. I mean, we don't even know where she decided to go…"

"I know where she went," Reid said irritated, running his hands through his hair so he could try to calm himself. It didn't work.

"Oh, would you care to let us know?" Caleb's patience finally snapped and the only thing he wanted from Reid was a clear answer.

"Home, she went home."

And unlike the other boys, Reid knew exactly where home was.

**A/N: I hope you like it! So, do you think Avery should forgive Reid? Give me some love through your reviews so I can know your opinion. I'll try to write a new chapter as fast as possible! Ohjh, and for those who like AU All human Twilight stories, I'm writing one! It's called Bundle of Joy. Check it out!  
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	14. Making up is easy to do

**A/N: I know I haven't updated in a long time, but I'm here now!!! Hope you had a Merry Christamas and a Happy New Year! Thanks so much for your previous reviews, they make really happy! Want to be a fashionista like Avery Darling? Check out my Polyvore page to see what's her style. The link is on my profile!  
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**On to the story now:**

**Chapter Fourteen:** **Making up is easy to do**

"Oh," Avery whispered in disbelief as she checked every detail of her old bedroom. It was perfect and looked exactly like she had last seen it almost two years ago. The old ballet bar was still fixated on the wall, the stuffed animals were still on the bed and her picture with Pogue was on the nightstand. It didn't look like time had passed in there and that was exactly what Avery needed.

After what happened at dinner, Avery knew she just needed someplace where she would be able to think about what she was going to do next. Reid was her best friend and the fight they had was a little too much for her to handle in public. To say the truth, she was kind of expecting her house to be a little abandoned, but it was obvious that her parents didn't do abandoned and made sure that the house was as perfect as it was before they left.

A couple hours later, Avery was already tucked in, with the thick comforter covering her and Poppy, her small stuffed dog, beside her. As she was extending her arm to turn off the nightlight, there was a knock on the door and it was opened immediately ten seconds after. Avery groaned when she saw who her late night visitor was.

Reid fucking Garwin. He had to be kidding.

"Hey," he greeted her in a raspy voice, rubbing his clothed arms, probably still feeling cold. Avery just stared at him, determined not to feel any pity for the boy standing in front of her. He could freeze his ass off, for all she cared.

"What are you doing here?" Avery demanded, rising to sit up straight. She had the feeling that if she stood up, he would realize how much he was affecting her and that was the last thing Avery wanted. After all, Reid had seen too much of her weakness for one day.

"I wanted to talk…about what happened today," Reid said and Avery couldn't help but notice that he looked a little hesitant. Probably Caleb forced him to find her and apologize. She let out a deep sigh and pushed the covers away. Even if it was freezing cold outside, she was starting to feel warm because of anxiety and a little bit of anger directed towards Reid.

"Don't you think it's a little too late to talk about what happened today or the days before?"

"No, not really." Reid was cracking his fingers and trying to avoid her eyes as much as possible. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but he was sort of feeling ashamed of the way he had treated his best friend. And worst, he possibly threw away their lifetime friendship for a girl who was as fake as a two dollar bill. How smart.

"Oh, not really?" Avery let out a laugh, not really believing in what she was hearing. Whoever said Reid had no tact and no real sense when it came to other people feelings, was definitely saying the truth. And to think that she was best friends with the boy for seventeen years.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong, but that's…" Reid started to talk, but Avery didn't let him finish his sentence. Her patience was long gone and she felt that her head would explode if she didn't say something.

"No, Reid, what you did to me wasn't wrong, it was fucked up!" Avery finally got up from the bed, grabbing one of the many pillows to throw at him. Like she expected, he swiftly dodged the object, but that didn't stop her for throwing two more, just to show him how angry she really was. "You were my best friend, Reid. We were like siblings, if you don't count the times we made out. You were not supposed to betray me like that!"

And with those words, what Avery feared the most was happening: she was crying. And her brilliant plan of looking tough so Reid could see that he wasn't dealing with a stupid little girl didn't seem so brilliant anymore. Standing near the door, Reid wondered if it would be better to just turn around and leave or if he should try and comfort her. Even if he loved Avery to death, he just wasn't good with crying people. He let his conscience battle for a few more seconds before finally walking up to Avery and wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't touch me." Avery tried to push his arms away, but gave up when Reid showed how much stronger he really was. So she just rested her head on his shoulder and continued to sob, getting his Ralph Lauren polo shirt wet. "What am I going to do with you, Reid?" she murmured when the tears subsided.

"Well, you could forgive me," Reid said in a light tone, but in reality, his stomach was bubbling with anticipation. What was she going to do now, throw him out like a dog or would she kindly forgive him?

"Yeah?" Even in the situation they were in, Reid could make her giggle a little.

"But before you say anything, I wanted to tell you something." Avery lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him. He sounded and looked even more nervous than before.

"Okay, what did you do now, is Naomi pregnant?" she asked, cringing at the mere thought of Naomi expecting Reid's baby. Ugh, she was so not ready to think about Reid and Naomi in bed.

"What? No! Ave, just be quiet and listen, okay? Well, tonight, everyone said what they were thankful for and when it was my turn, I didn't know what to say, you know why?"

"No," Avery whispered, not really understanding where Reid was trying to get.

"Because I couldn't think about anything but you. I mean, I couldn't stop thinking about how grateful I am to have you in my life and how I screwed up things between us. What I want you to know is that I'm thankful for the day I met you, even if you hit me so hard that I had a bruise for a week!" Reid's lips curled in a small smile as he remembered the day he had been formally introduced to her. They were three years old.

"Hey, you pulled on my pigtails! What did you expect me to do?" She laughed and gave him a little push, not enough to hurt or even move him. Reid, however, gasped dramatically and threw himself on the bed.

"You see! I don't know why you have the need to always resort to violence. Besides, you're supposed to know that when a boy pulls on your pigtails, it means that he likes you," Reid said slowly as if he was talking to a five year old, causing Avery to scoff.

"We were three years old, I didn't realize that 'pull on the pigtails' was one of your methods to pick up girls at the sandbox," Avery apologized in a sarcastic tone, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly.

"It's never too early to start. I mean, how do you think I got my estimated 'player reputation' when I was a freshman? Besides, you should have known my true intentions when we first met." He winked and gave her a little nudge. And again, Avery was unable to stop her lips from curling into a smile. Damn Reid Garwin.

"Yes, I should. I'm sorry if I was too naïve." Reid chuckled and put one arm around her shoulders, enjoying the contact with Avery. Before the whole fight, he was almost Avery's Siamese twin and now they barely talked. Needless to say, that whole situation was stressing the crap out of him, even if he tried to hide it. Being with her again made sense, even if they weren't romantically involved.

"It's okay; you can't be perfect every time, it gets a little boring. Well, unless you're me."

"I'll keep that in mind," Avery said and yawned. Even though she was tired ever since she arrived at the house, but her mind was working so hard that she was unable to relax. Talking to Reid and straightening things out was practically like getting a massage at Bliss: guaranteed sleepiness.

"Is this your way of telling me to get out?" Reid raised an eyebrow, trying to give her an angry look.

"Not all of my bodily functions are controlled by your presence, Reid. But don't try to distract me now. What are you going to do about Naomi?" she asked and focused on him, just to see his reaction to her question. If Reid's face showed a tiny bit of hesitation, she would throw him out, that's for sure. There was still silence and that was starting to bother her. "So?"

"Don't try to hurry me, woman! Everybody knows that a good revenge plan takes more than five minutes to be concocted," he huffed and went back on thinking about his scheme.

"One: did you just say concocted? Two: revenge plan? What are you going to do?" Avery sing sang, almost jumping on the bed with excitement. Usually, she wasn't that mean of a person, but Naomi messed with too many aspects of her life for her not to do anything.

"Haven't you heard? Curiosity killed the cat, Ms. Darling. But don't worry your pretty head, okay? I'll come up with something." Avery settled down, figuring it would be better to give Reid a chance.

"Okay. I don't want to be rude, but it's kind of time for my beauty sleep, so I would appreciate if you…" Avery trailed off and made a gesture with her hands, pointing to the door. She was just trying to be polite and not actually throw him out. Especially because it was snowing.

"My, my, do you really want me gone? I'm hurt." Reid dramatically put a hand on his chest and fell back on the bed. Avery rolled her eyes and sighed; she already knew what she was supposed to do now.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?" she asked in an impatient voice, but Reid didn't care about that in the least. He was getting what he wanted and that was what mattered.

"Oh, I just couldn't refuse an invitation like this." He immediately sat up and took off his polo shirt, staying with only a white wife beater.

"Aren't you going to be cold wearing this?" Avery pointed to his thin piece of clothing.

"Nah, your heater is too powerful for me to feel cold. Come on, this was a long day, let's sleep."

"Since I'm dating your best friend, we need a few ground rules." Reid let out a snort, but Avery promptly ignored it. "You can't take off your pants, unless you're wearing boxers and no cuddling."

"I can't not cuddle, Ave!"

"I'm pretty sure you are very able to not cuddle, I mean, do you cuddle with your one night stands?"

"I usually don't go to sleep with my one night stands." His lips curled in a smirk and Avery's lips curled in distaste.

"Ew, that's what they call over share, Reid, I really don't want to know about that. Please, just control yourself. I'm way too tired to continue talking to you." Avery laid her head down on the pillow and extended one arm to get Poppy, which was on the edge of the bed, almost falling.

"Okay." He pushed the blanket so it was covering his body and closed his eyes. "Good night and dream about me."

Avery smiled at what he said before closing her eyes too.

She did dream about Reid, after all.

00000000

"Listen girls, The Nutcracker is in a few weeks and I don't want you to let anything distract you from that. I don't know if you really considered what Friday's show can bring, but I can guarantee that it's every girl's dream. Influential people from Boston Ballet, ABT, NYCB and Julliard will be there, so it's better if you start concentrating on what's important," Alexander Knight, one of the directors of the dance school, said, giving Avery and Naomi a pointed look.

Both of the girls were trying their best to hide their mutual hatred, but were not succeeding. The constant bumps, glares and missteps were more than enough to show Alexander how much they weren't concentrated on the rehearsal. Avery looked down, thankful that she was already red from the workout so nobody would notice she was blushing from embarrassment.

"Sorry, I know my time was little off," Naomi apologized in an easy voice and grinned. Avery felt the urge to slap her, so she just tried to breathe deeply, hoping that the urge would be gone soon.

"Yes, it was, so I suggest that you pay attention. Let's go again. Places, we're going to do Waltz of the Flowers now and then go back. I don't want to stop every five minutes, so please, help me here." Alex waited for a moment so everyone was in their respective positions and gestured to the pianist so he could start playing.

"Oh, thank God," Avery muttered as she sat down on the floor. At the moment it was almost six and they had been rehearsing since two, only stopping when it was time for snack breaks. And even at snack breaks, all Avery could do was drink water and eat a banana, so it was very safe to say that she was exhausted.

"You know, you should've told me that you invited a friend to watch the rehearsal. I didn't even put some lipstick on," a girl who was sitting next to Avery complained in an anxious voice before grabbing her bag to get a compact mirror. Avery raised her eyebrows, clearly not understanding what was going on. All of her mental questions were answered when she turned her head and saw Reid standing on the hallway, looking at them through the glass. Avery was so close to Reid that she didn't get all crazy with his presence and she couldn't understand why the other girls did.

"I didn't invite him," Avery scoffed, doing exactly what Reid told her to do the day before. At first, she didn't really understand what he meant when he was instructing her, but everything was making sense now.

"Why is he here then?"

"Didn't you know? He's dating Naomi." Avery lazily pointed on finger at Naomi, who was doing a sequence of grand jetes.

"Really? I didn't know that!" the girl sitting next to Avery said, trying to contain her excitement and need to gossip.

"You can go tell your friends, but do it quietly or Mr. Knight will kill you." The girl nodded and went off to go talk to her friends and Avery smirked. Phase one of revenge plan was completed.

000000000000

"Alright, you can take a twenty minute break. After this, I just want Avery, Michael, the cavaliers and the understudies now. We're going to rehearse the first act and second act pas de deux, okay? Thanks everyone, I'll see you tomorrow," Alexander announced and turned around to go back to his office.

The dancers breathed in relief and began packing their things in the bags so they could get changed in the locker rooms. The day was finally over for them and even though Avery knew she would have another hour of hard work, she was too excited to know what Reid was going to do.

On the other side of the room, Naomi practically threw her pointe shoes and knitted orange leg warmers inside her oversized ballet bag and picked the practice white tutu from the floor without much care. After all, Reid was there and that was another opportunity for her to just rub her victory on Avery's face. Even if Naomi was more than pleased with what happened at Thanksgiving, she still believed that Avery should witness some more PDA between her and Reid.

"Reid, I didn't know you were coming!" Naomi exclaimed as she walked towards him, clearly enjoying the envious looks she was receiving from all the other girls. The strawberry blonde hugged Reid when he was at arms' length and dropped a kiss on his mouth.

"I didn't tell you I was coming." Even at a decent distance from the couple, Avery could notice that Reid was trying to hide his annoyance, but as always, he was being very subtle about it so Naomi wouldn't notice. And she didn't.

"I know, silly me!" She laughed and slapped her forehead. "I'm all sweaty, so I'll take a shower and we can go grab something to eat, okay?"

"Actually, I came here so we could talk." Reid looked down at their joined hands and quickly let go of her hand. Seeing the gesture, Naomi frowned, but didn't protest. She didn't want to look like one of these needy girls who needed physical contact all the time.

"Talk about what?"

"You know, when I met you I really thought you were a nice girl. Real hot, too. Avery told me some things about you, but I didn't believe it. I even invited you to my family's thanksgiving dinner."

"Reid, I don't understand where you're trying to go with this." Naomi's voice was calm, but Avery could tell that the other girl was starting to get worried.

"What I'm trying to say is..well…" Reid stalled, raising his voice and with that, drawing even more attention from the girls. "We're done, even if I didn't really consider my girlfriend."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she hissed, quickly looking around to realize that, for her consternation, everyone was staring at them. And worse, they were gossiping amongst themselves.

"I know what you did to Avery and it was fucked up. Just because she's so much better than you, it doesn't mean you can sabotage her. Doing that is for psycho bitches and apparently, you are one!" Reid was almost yelling at Naomi, but he didn't care about that. He was actually kind of relieved, as he was finally getting revenge for everything she made him and Avery go through.

"Reid!" Naomi tried to scream, but all it came out sounded like a small whine. She didn't know what she was supposed to do now that Reid was screaming out what she had done to Avery. Should she deny everything and run to the locker room or just admit everything? She mentally weighed the two options and decided that the former one was better. After all, she couldn't let everybody discover her little 'trick' on Avery. "I didn't do anything!"

"It's not like I expected you to tell the truth, so I don't care about what you say, I just wanted you to know that you can't fucking manipulate me anymore." Reid shrugged and went back to his cool and collected mode, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "I think we're done here, aren't we? Sorry it didn't last so long, but show's over, guys," he said to large group that was attentively watching the couple. That was the opportunity that Naomi needed to slip off, so she did it.

"You all want to go home, remember? We've been rehearsing for the past three hours, so please, people, go home." Avery gently commanded to everyone who was still standing there, not really believing in what just happened. That seemed to wake up them from their daze and they finally started to disperse.

"Nice job," Reid complimented, bowing down, causing Avery to give him the most exuberant she had. She had missed Reid more than she had imagined.

"You wanna stay and watch my rehearsal?" Avery asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot. It seemed absurd, but she was actually a little nervous that he would say no. "Or you could go to wherever you go at this time with the boys, no problem."

"Actually, I want to stay. People talk about you like you're some kind of dance goodness and I want to check out and see if you're if you're overrated or not."

"Funny," she said sarcastically while rolling her eyes in fake annoyance.

"Yeah, I thought so."

00000000

Avery sighed in happiness and started to take off the bobby pins that were holding her bun. Apparently, endorphin was the best drug ever and she was too pumped up with it to even care about the fact that her feet were killing her and how disgusting she was feeling with all the sweat. Well, she would have to deal with the sweat later, since Reid would probably kill someone if he had to stay there for another ten minutes. Not that Avery minded; she was far too happy that she was finally best friends with the boy again.

"I hope you're happy," Naomi, who was sitting in a corner, said. She wasn't wearing leotard and tights, but her hair was still up in a bun. "You humiliated me." She raised her head a little more and Avery could notice that her eyes were red from crying, something that surprised her.

"I didn't humiliated you, Reid did that." Avery corrected her, as if there was any difference. It was as clear as day that she and Reid had teamed up.

"Reid wouldn't do that alone. It's obvious that you encouraged him." Naomi tried to be all intimidating, but Avery just thought she was a little pathetic.

"You underestimate him. I said 'let's get revenge' and he came up with the whole plan. I must say that I thought he would go for something a little more cliché and girly, like switching your shampoo for something else."

"Whatever, you won. You have Reid now." Avery just shook her head in a condescending way.

"I always had him, don't fool yourself. Reid was my best friend before you even knew his name." Avery didn't know why, but she had this need to show Naomi how important their relationship was.

"Are you going to tell on me?" Naomi asked with a worried voice; she didn't know what she would do if she was kicked off Prescott.

"I already thought about that and no, I'm not telling. You know why?"

""Why?" Naomi squeaked, clearly surprised. She probably expected Avery to be the one to boot her off.

"Because I want to make sure that you'll see me dancing the lead role. And you bet your ass that I'll dance like Margot Fonteyn, Alessandra Ferri and Sylvie Guillem combined! I worked really hard to get this part, Naomi. I don't know why you can't see that!"

"You weren't even here!" Naomi stood up quickly, feeling the need to defend herself. "You got back from New York and a few weeks later Somova picks you. How is that not unfair?"

"I wasn't doing nothing in New York! I had classes five days per week without counting private classes on Saturdays. I was chosen to play Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote _and _Clara in The Nutcracker, therefore, I have more experience with lead roles than you. That was why Somova chose me, not because daddy was paying!" Avery started to say, pouring out everything that had been in her mind for the past weeks. She knew she was getting too nervous, so she took a deep breath and started again, this time a little calmer. "Ballet is your passion and so is mine. You want to go to Julliard and I want to go too. This is a competitive world and you can't try to sabotage everyone you consider your rival."

"I guess I'm sorry for what I did."

"I appreciate your apology, thank you." Avery finished brushing her hair, put on a pair of flats and left the room, leaving Naomi alone again.

Even though Naomi still felt humiliated, she kind of felt a little better with herself. The old saying was true; nobody likes a bitch, so she would stop being one.

00000000000

"Something happened with my girlfriend and my best friend, but I can't really figure out what," Tyler announced when he returned to the living room, where Avery and Reid were watching 'Legally Blonde'. First of all, Reid wasn't complaining every five minutes that he was being forced to watch a chick flick and Avery seemed to have a permanent smile on her face and she wasn't drinking her usual Diet Coke.

"Hey, do you think I'm a boring, grey girl just because I'm a brunette?" she asked both of the boys while running a hand through her brown locks, feeling a little self conscious. They exchanged looks before laughing at Avery's question.

"Well, you are old money and you are from the East Coast, but no, you're not grey and boring. So, no need to worry." Reid patted her on the head and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "You see man, 'Legally Blonde' should be forbidden for brunettes. It messes it their self esteem and their egos."

"So, before this goes any further, would one of you tell me what happened? A few days before I couldn't even mention his name to you." Tyler pointed to Reid and then to Avery. "Now you're all lovey dovey."

"First of all, we're not lovey dovey and answering your question: Reid apologized, I forgave him and now we're having chick flicks session as a way to punish him." Sitting next to Avery, Reid deep sighed. "And don't deep sigh, I could give you a far worse punishment than this."

"I don't know what can be worse than this, but…"

"Oh honey, we could take a train to New York and then hit the three B's. Bergdorf's, Barneys and Bendels. Oh, I forgot Bloomingdales, but I don't go there much. Would you like to do that, Reid?" Avery asked in a very innocent voice, but Tyler could see the glint in her eyes. Apparently, Reid could see it too, as he was furiously shaking his head.

"You wouldn't do that to me, Ave."

"Well, you said some pretty hurtful things in these past days. Perhaps making you watch chick flicks is not enough punishment."

"There's a pile of DVD's over there, Ave. I think that's enough punishment." Reid was a proud person, but he wasn't above begging when there was shopping involved. He knew that Avery could turn into a monster when she was inside a store.

"I'll let it slide this time, but only because I'm way too tired to be evil now." She twisted her body so she could comfortably rest her feet on Reid's lap. Unlike she expected, Reid started to massage her very sore foot. "Okay, what's going on? Why are you giving me a foot massage?"

"It's official now. It's impossible to please you, you spoiled girl!" Reid complained, but didn't stop massaging her foot. To say the truth, he was only doing this because he knew how exhausted and sore Avery really was, even if she was trying to hide it.

"Spoiled girl, yes, but I'm not hard to please. Actually, you're pleasing me very much by doing that." Tyler's eyes widened a little after hearing what Avery said and he decided it was time to take action.

"Love you guys, but none of this 'you're pleasing me' thing. I'm serious," Tyler said in a firm voice and Avery giggled.

"Oh, little baby is jealous," Avery sing sang in a baby voice while patting the other spot next to her. Tyler stared at her for a second before moving to sit by his girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Oh, I love you too!"

"Okay, I need to know what happened between you two. You were about to break in and murder him while he was sleeping last week and now you're practically giving each other manicures."

Avery and Reid exchanged looks, having a silent discussion. Should they tell Tyler everything that happened or wait for another opportunity? Avery looked at Tyler and realized that she just wasn't ready to have an argument with her boyfriend. So, not telling him at that moment was the choice.

"We talked; he apologized, but Reid's still on probation, though." Avery explained with a smirk and almost laughed when she saw the somewhat appalled look on Reid's face.

"Probation? I'm not on probation!"

"You kind of are, hun. But you won't be if you behave." Reid snorted and turned his attention to the movie. He had come to learn that there was no arguing with Avery Darling, so why bother? "You know, I missed this."

"What? Making us suffer with chick flicks? Because I did _not _miss that." Reid assured her with his mouth full of popcorn.

"First of all: ew. Second: I missed the three of us being together, doing something like watching a movie." She sighed in happiness and let her head fall on Tyler's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what time are we going to Nicky's?" Reid asked.

"We're not going to Nicky's, Reid, I brought 'Legally Blonde 2' and then we can watch 'Mean Girls', you know I love that movie!"

Reid rolled his eyes at her exaggerated cheeriness, but didn't say anything else. To tell the truth, he was also happy and relieved that they were back to what they previously were.

He just wasn't Reid Garwin without Avery Darling.


End file.
